All That Can Be Given
by Baryon Lancer
Summary: #2 How does one say goodbye to someone that gave you life, but took away the joys of living? How does a young man of infinite power deal with the legacy of pain he has inherited from his mother, and the burdens of a cruel world? Can her greatest gift for him be his true salvation? Has she given him all that can be given? Set in the same world as my other MKnR stories.
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you haven't already read my previous MKnR story 2092: Aftermath, then some things in this story may not make sense. I highly recommend you start with 2092: Aftermath. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my stories.

* * *

"Can it be…no other way, madam?"

She looked on her current companion with as much sympathy that was left inside her.

"You know as well as I that it has to be this way."

The sadness in his eyes nearly reached her heart.

"I understand madam."

With these words his back straightened and the dependable man she had known since she was young returned in all his dignified splendor. The confidence he radiated now filled her with gentle reassurance.

"It will be as madam commands it."

She weakly reached out for his hand. After a moment of stunned hesitation, he extended his own hand and grasped her around the fingers.

"I know it is a terrible burden I am placing on you. I wouldn't ask this of you if there were anyone else…"

He interrupted her then with a warm smile.

"Your confidence in me fills me with honor. To serve this noble house is the glory of my life. You may rest reassured that this one will not fail you."

With these words, he released her hand and slowly sank to his knees. Once seated, he placed his hands on the ground before him with the index fingers and thumbs touching their counterparts. He then solemnly lowered his head till it touched the back of his hands. Only then, did he speak once more.

"It has been the honor of my life to have served the noblest and worthy of ladies!"

He rarely raised his voice. That he did so now indicated that even he was near his emotional breaking point.

She waved weakly towards him to rise up. Once he had she extended her hand to him again and he readily took it.

"You came into our lives at their darkest point. You took two broken girls under your protection and guidance even though they weren't your own, and you led them as best as anyone could under the circumstances to womanhood with care and conviction. It is I who am honored by your service."

She paused then to collect herself as she suddenly felt emotionally overwhelmed. After a few moments, she spoke again.

"You are more than a servant to me. You are my mentor and…my friend."

Her companion reached into his breast pocket with his free hand and removed a handkerchief. For the first time, she could remember he used it on his own eyes.

"Madam…you honor me more than….."

"Nowhere near as much as you deserve."

She then smiled weakly at him.

"Look at me."

He lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"This mortal coil is a container, nothing more. A projection of the true self which resides in the Eidos. This shell was meant to fail, and it soon will."

He turned away at her last words but a sudden firmness in her grasp brought his eyes back to her.

"We shall meet again my most loyal and noble friend. This is not a wish, this is a promise. We are, all of us, immortal souls. We shall look upon each other again one day."

He managed a smile for her and spoke to her softly.

"I await that day with hopeful anticipation madam. You may rest assured madam that I will look out for the children and your sister with every fiber of my being. This is my pledge to you, most noble lady."

She nodded gratefully to him.

"I entrust everything I care about in this world to your most capable hands. I can rest easy knowing that you have never failed us, and never will, my most dear friend."

He bowed lightly towards her, tapping his forehead gently against the back of her hand. She nodded lightly in reply and then they released their handhold.

After a moment to compose himself he spoke to her again.

"Shall I have them come in now madam?"

Her eyes took on a faraway look, and then she lightly shook her head from side to side.

"No…"

Something glimmered deep in those sad and beautiful eyes.

"….just him."

Her companion was about to make a mild protest for the madam's young daughter, but his mistress's words preempted his attempt.

"I won't have her see me like this. We have said all we had to say to each other, and since this is not the end, there is no need for goodbyes."

She smiled at him then and he bowed once more before stepping back several steps, turning, and proceeding towards the door.

* * *

She had been incredibly brave throughout this whole ordeal. She was truly becoming a strong young woman before his eyes and that filled him with some ease of mind.

Though the hard part was yet to come.

They stood together in the hallway with their father and a few servants. None of the other family members, including their aunt, had come in yet. The awkward silence between father and children probably heightened the tension for the servants in attendance.

She was as close to him as they could get without embracing. She had her left hand on his right arm. He could feel the tension in that embrace.

Soon would come the flood. He had to be prepared for her intense sadness.

The idea that he should be sad too didn't exist for him, even though the woman that would surely die this day had also given birth to him.

He didn't bother to watch what was happening on the other side of the doorway.

His focus was all here on her.

On Miyuki.

That was all Tatsuya cared about.

He was just as surprised as she was when the door suddenly opened. She jumped slightly and then her aura changed. She was bracing herself for the dreaded words. Their father also looked at the man moving through the doorway with expectant eyes.

Hayama gently closed the door and smiled as softly as he could towards Miyuki, sympathy radiating with that look and his words.

"Madam…"

Yet he uncharacteristically paused to find the right words.

Tatsuya could feel Miyuki doubling down on her internal resolve. She was now braced for anything, or she at least thought she was. Tatsuya, on the other hand, was ready to be her support no matter what.

"…..wishes to see Tatsuya-dono…."

All three Shiba family members in the hallway now looked at Hayama with surprise. It was in this stunned gap he added the multiplying word.

"…..alone."

Stupefied silence clung to the air between them for a few moments as they processed what they had just heard. It was Tatsurou who finally broke the silence.

"She wants to see…..him…alone?"

Miyuki and Tatsuya turned towards their father. It was fortunate that he did not see the look of contempt his daughter pierced him with.

"Indeed Sir, alone."

Hayama's words left no room for interpretation. Tatsurou backed down instantly but not without showing his displeasure at one final rejection from his legal wife and the mother of his children. Tatsuya found it odd that their father should take offense to this final rejection when he had purposefully lived a separate life from his family and with his mistress all these years.

Still, it showed to Tatsuya that there was at least something in the man that still cared about the opinion of the woman he married, even if only for his own pride's sake.

Hayama, with absolutely no interest in whether their father's feelings were hurt or not, instantly turned a sympathetic look onto Miyuki. Tatsuya too thought it would have been natural for their mother to call in Miyuki, the child she adored and heaped her love and praise upon; instead of the reject she was embarrassed by.

To everyone's surprise, Miyuki's eyes began to glow and a smile spread across her face. She then turned and looked Tatsuya in the eyes, tears forming in the corners of her eyes but an expectant and nearly happy expression radiating from her exquisite features. Taking both his hands in hers and pulling them together up between them, she leaned in and began to whisper to him.

"This is her final chance to show you she loves you."

Tatsuya immediately felt regret and unease at Miyuki's words. He should have known she'd interpret their mother's actions in this way.

"This is your final chance to tell her how you feel too. Your final chance to unburden your heart."

She was happy because she had unrealistic hopes for the two people she loved most to reconcile before one of them died.

"You can finally be mother and son. You can't let this chance pass Onii-sama."

He mustered up a smile for her, even though no joy came to his heart.

"Tell her how you truly feel."

The rules between this mother and her son had been set long ago and there was no real chance to change that, even now. Tatsuya lived in a world of absolutes. To think that their intractable mother would suddenly regret her long-held convictions and suddenly express affection for the son that was her greatest failure was less believable than a sudden miraculous recovery for that same woman.

"I will do my best, for you."

Still, he would never break a promise to Miyuki. He would do his best, for her sake alone. Because making this whole affair easier for Miyuki to bear was his one and only concern.

"We shouldn't keep madam waiting."

Hayama's words brought Tatsuya back to the matter at hand. He bowed to Hayama and then to Miyuki. He then released her hands and stepped back.

"Please stay with Father until I return."

Miyuki smiled with tears of joy about to release from her eyes.

"Yes, Onii-sama."

This was the only thing that could make Tatsuya feel.

Miyuki.

Her hopeful expression tore at his very soul. He knew she would be disappointed in the results of his final conversation with their mother. To see her so hopeful and knowing that those hopes would be dashed to pieces made Tatsuya hate himself for his limitations.

It also made him mildly resent the one who had imposed these emotional limitations on him. The one who did this to him, and thus to her through him.

The woman waiting for him on the other side of that door.

Hayama turned the doorknob and opened the door for him to step through.

* * *

This bedroom in the main house had once been his mother's own parents' bedroom. They had all been born in this same room. His mother and aunt, himself, and Miyuki. Their grandmother had died in childbirth in this very room as well, along with her infant son.

If Tatsuya had been an emotional creature, he might have found the odd mixture of hope and despair this room represented for the Yotsuba family as a fascinating topic for reflecting upon.

It wasn't a hospital room by any means. There were no medical monitors, no chirping or beeping sounds, no drips and tubes for medication. They would be superfluous here since there was no medical science that could repair what was wrong with the "patient" that currently was housed here.

A large four post canopy bed occupied the left-hand third of the room. Its head being against the left wall. It was an original piece of furniture to the room, though the mattresses and beddings had been changed many times over.

It was between those four posts of mahogany that the greatest disappointment ever to befall this family had been birthed.

Himself.

Two high windows occupied the far wall. Late autumn afternoon sunlight streamed through the gauzy light interior curtains. The heavier drapes had been tied back to allow the light in. It was easy to see the tiny particles of dust and lint that floated constantly, riding on the soft air currents, being highlighted in the sunbeams' light.

Beneath the window on the right sat a large high-backed chair, not unlike the reading chair in his mother's bedroom back home.[G1]

There, just in the shadow between the sunbeams, in that very chair, in a white kimono with the stylized four-leaf clover mon of the Yotsuba in purple ink, and under a knitted violet blanket, sat the woman that would die in this room on this very day.

Despite her impending demise, she didn't look any different than normal to him, even now.

Her eyes had been aimed towards the door when he walked in. Their gaze locked with each other the second he turned towards her. The same cold eyes as always. The same disapproving look. Nothing had changed on the surface for Tatsuya in those orbs aimed at him now.

Why should it change? This woman has been dying for years now. Tatsuya didn't need to cast his special vision to see what was wrong. He had known for some time that her last reserves of psions were ebbing away. For the last year, she didn't even have enough psions left to cast even the simplest of magics.

Now, the few remaining psions she had left were all that kept her attached to her weakened body.

Hayama stepped up beside Tatsuya after he closed the door and they both bowed in unison towards the chair.

"I have brought Tatsuya-dono, madam."

"Thank you Hayama-san."

The voice was a little weaker, but not abnormally so. Any signs she was on Death's door were well hidden.

After both stood upright, Hayama bowed slightly to her once more.

"If madam needs anything further…"

"No."

Hayama rose yet again and with a short head nod turned around and walked towards the door they had just entered through.

"Tadanori-kun."

Tatsuya was as stunned as Hayama to hear her call him by his given name. He turned to hear her with emotions warring across his face.

"Yes….Miya-sama?"

Tatsuya had never heard Hayama address his mother by her given name before.

She smiled almost warmly at him.

"We can never repay you, for all that you have done for us; but…."

She seemed to almost choke up for a moment.

"….I want you to know, how much your loyalty and friendship has meant to me. And how very much you are appreciated. Thank you, for everything have done, and will do."

Hayama, despite his obvious discomfort, straightened his back and stepped back up beside Tatsuya. He placed his left-hand palm out beside him and his right-hand flat on his stomach. He then performed the most graceful bow Tatsuya had even seen.

"Miya-sama, to serve such a noble lady as yourself has been the honor of my life."

He rose, and then lowered his head.

"If Miya-sama will forgive an old man's faults, I must say, that I could not have loved you better, had you been my own daughter. I will remember my promise to you and will keep my word, till we meet again, in a better world."

Tatsuya was mildly stunned by this open display of affection between servant and master, which to his continued surprise received no rebuke from his normally etiquette harsh mother. Instead, she smiled at Hayama almost with the same happy expression she normally reserved for Miyuki alone.

"I look forward to that day Tadanori-kun."

Hayama bowed again to her.

"Madam, until then."

Turning to his left, he retreated past Tatsuya towards a side door to a servants' closet instead of back out into the hallway. In shock, Tatsuya realized Hayama had become strangely emotional and needed to center himself in some privacy. He respectfully chose not to eaves-drop on him with Elemental Sight.

Then, mother and son were finally alone.

"Tatsuya."

Having been looking intently at the door Hayama had just retreated through, Tatsuya turned to face his mother. He then crossed his hands behind his back and straightened his posture. With a nod, he replied.

"How may I serve madam?"

When he received no immediate response to his inquiry he slightly lifted his eyes to find that familiar harsh and cold glare boring into him. Only once they had reestablished eye contact did Miya speak again.

"Has Miyuki changed your standing orders?"

Her voice was as cold as her stare. Tatsuya straightened himself before crossing his arms around his back again.

"I am unaware of any changes."

He showed no sign of any emotion in his voice or expression.

"Then her order for you to call me 'mother' is still in effect, is it not?"

He almost cocked a disbelieving eyebrow raise at her.

"...it is."

She was apparently in no mood for his defiant expression.

"And you have already violated her order? Is this what I can expect from you once I am gone? That you will disobey Miyuki's commands? That you will fail her in your duties?"

Now Tatsuya knew that his expression had changed to one of irritation. He began to squint a bit at his mother's ridiculous assumptions.

"Certainly not. I thought only that in your current condition you would prefer a return to a more comfortable way of addressing each other. Especially since Miyuki is not present."

Miya turned away then as if uninterested in what he had to say. They had instantly fallen into their old patterns.

"What I prefer is for you to not break your word to Miyuki."

He had to fight to not smirk at her.

"Very well….mother."

The nearly sarcastic emphasis on her title brought Miya's eyes back to her son. After a few long moments of staring each other down, she waved him to her with the first two fingers of her right hand.

Tatsuya approached her, as slowly as decorum would allow. Though he doubted she would, for Miyuki's sake, he wasn't going to give their mother an excuse to change things in the eleventh hour because of his actions. Once he was within a meter of her, he came to a position of parade rest and stared out the nearest window awaiting her next words.

The day would be over soon. The red color maple leaves drifted slowly down towards the freshly raked grass below. He could see a light breeze blowing them softly towards his left. He knew that tonight that refreshing breeze would become harsher and chillier. He reminded himself to make sure Miyuki had on warm undergarments beneath her furisode for the funeral.

"Arrangements have been made with your father and your aunt."

This was the direction Tatsuya thought this conversation would head in. Final instructions and orders. What more could a master want with a servant than that?

"As planned, Miyuki and you will attend First High next year. The house and the car will stay in your father's name until you graduate high school and then they will become your property. The two of you will live there on your own. Your father will not invite himself over without Miyuki's expressed approval."

This was also expected information. Tatsuya eventually becoming the owner and their father currently retaining ownership keeps Miyuki's name off official documents. Tatsuya would own the property in name only for Miyuki's sake, insulating her from the legalities of the outside world.

"When you graduate high school my shares of FLT will be transferred from a trust to you. This will give you control of the day-to-day operations of FLT."

This was a mild surprise for him.

"May I ask a question?"

She nodded to his request.

"Oba-ue has signed off on this arrangement?"

Miya nodded lightly before elaborating.

"So long as the profits keep flowing your aunt will not interfere, under the same conditions in which I originally set up FLT with Eisaku-Oji-sama. You will eventually have managing control. You will retain your father on the payroll as a vice president and with the same or greater salary until he is either seventy-five or voluntarily leaves. He'll get his full compensation package and you will pay him fair market value price for his shares if that is what he desires, his shares to be purchased by Miyuki, not you. Otherwise, Miyuki will inherit his shares on his death."

A reasonable arrangement. Tatsuya didn't bother to ask his mother why she left him in control of FLT instead of Miyuki. He was to insulate her in this regard as he would with ownership of the home. By the time their father retired or died Miyuki would be a full grown woman and more than ready to own a business in her own right.

"I have a hard time believing Chichi-san and Oba-ue both consented to this arrangement. I am just a servant."

She cut her eyes toward him before explaining further.

"Maya likes insulation for herself more than I do for Miyuki. She is also as aware as I am that you are best equipped to manage a technology firm as anyone they could hire and your loyalty to Miyuki is unbreakable. There is no threat to the family from you so long as Miyuki lives. Instead, you are literally the perfect person for the job. All parties involved understand this."

It was a basic understanding of his existence. He and Miyuki were inexplicably tied to each other. He could no more defy Miyuki's wishes then he could hold his breath indefinitely underwater.

"Plus, it will give you something that is your own."

Tatsuya did raise an eyebrow to this unexpected statement.

In a way, this was a reward for him, though. He didn't care for the money since money had never been and would never be an issue for Miyuki and thus himself. He was already earning a substantial income even as a middle school student, thanks to the debut of the very popular Silver Series CADs he had helped design for FLT. Since their debut, last spring FLT profit margins had increased nearly thirty percent. Even his mother had seemed impressed.

Yet he did have another question for her.

"And Chichi-san?"

Miya almost rolled her eyes at the mention of her wayward husband.

"He agreed to this arrangement in exchange for a few crumbs of freedom."

Tatsuya wasn't always good with innuendo, but in this case, he easily read between his mother's lines.

"He will be allowed to marry Sayuri-san?"

His mother vacantly nodded.

"And have children, if she still can."

The last part of his mother's statement seemed to contain a bit of venom in it. His mother had been as disinterested in her marriage as his father had been, at least as far back as Tatsuya's memory could recall. Still, negative feelings seemed to have a way of lingering on well after any positive memories have faded away.

There was only one question on Tatsuya's mind now.

"How soon?"

Tatsuya didn't care if his father remarried, personally, because he didn't concern himself with his father at all. For some reason, despite her great resentment of how he treated Tatsuya and their mother, Miyuki still cared for their father deeply, even if she also was constantly angry with him. If not for Miyuki's sake, both father and son would have no interactions at all.

Miyuki also resented Tatsurou's long-time mistress, Furuha Sayuri, whom their father had been living with for nearly a decade now. Their impending marriage was something Tatsuya had wanted adequate time to prepare Miyuki emotionally for.

"As soon as decorum allows. In this case, six months."

That was unfortunate news.

"That soon?"

Miya easily read between Tatsuya's lines this time.

"She won't like it, but it will smooth things over for the two of you as well. Better to have them focused on their new marriage than on interfering in your lives. Anyway, he's 'suffered' long enough I suppose."

Though her disinterested expression continued unabated, Tatsuya thought he could detect the slightest hint of sympathy from his mother for her spouse, who by all rights deserved nothing from her but scorn. Their relationship had always been a strained affair. At times it seemed that Tatsurou wanted his wife to love him. He'd make efforts at it till Miya made it abundantly clear she wasn't interested so long as the other woman was still around. Then he'd go away once more just to try again later, after a few months. Not that Miya seemed interested in a meaningful relationship with her husband either. Tatsuya had to wonder at the unknown circumstances that brought these two very different personalities together long enough to marry and produce two children.

"How does this situation change once Miyuki is married?"

For some reason a small smile crept across his mother's face when he asked this question, then she looked up at him with an expression Tatsuya couldn't read.

"Do you think her feelings for you will change once she is married?"

Her nearly teasing and sympathetic tone suddenly irritated him for an unknown reason.

"I am her brother, though I suspect she will continue to look on me favorably it is only natural for her to begin to rely more on her husband, once married."

With that same strange look, his mother continued to smile at him, tilting her head slightly.

"Oh, naturally."

She then looked away while still smiling.

"Her husband, whomever that will be, would be a fool to try to step between the two of you. I suspect that Miyuki will always rely on her Onii-sama first."

She then turned those unusually warm eyes to him again, the smile still warm.

"Though neither of you seemed aware of it before Okinawa, Miyuki's love for you is just as intense as yours for her. It is a bond that no husband could ever hope to sever. Any woman trying to pry you from Miyuki's hands will surely find herself in for a cold reality."

Suddenly Miya laughed lightly at her own words. Apparently, her pun was intended. Tatsuya, for some reason he couldn't fathom, felt awkward and almost embarrassed by this turn in the conversation.

"I want to hear you say it."

Her sudden request threw him off his previous thoughts.

"….say what?"

The smile was gone now. Miya's "infamous" thousand-yard-stare had returned. Whatever she saw in that distant look always seemed to him to be something that brought her pain.

"Tell me the one true emotion you have left. Tell your mother, who violently took all your other emotions from you, the one emotion she left to you. Express it so that I can hear it. Let me hear the one truly human thing I was able to leave behind for you."

Even Tatsuya could feel the emotional war his mother seemed to be in. Perhaps being so close to death had weakened her emotional state.

But he didn't hesitate.

"With every fiber of my being, I love Miyuki and nothing else. I will protect her and defend her with my life."

She closed her eyes and released a deeply satisfied sigh.

"Yes…..Miyuki."

She then turned her smile and warm eyes upon him again.

"I made you into the perfect brother. Protector, defender, champion, idol, role-model, caregiver. There is nothing you cannot be for Miyuki or she for you."

 _"There is one thing I most certainly can never be for Miyuki."_

Tatsuya chose to keep that thought to himself, though. This was not the time or place for that. His mother continued speaking along a different path.

"Your relations with Kazuma's group will be negotiated in the future by your aunt. I don't want Miyuki or you to get bogged down in the negotiations of your 'service' with the SDF. You are Miyuki's Guardian first, nothing else matters after that."

"Of course."

She turned to look at him with hard eyes again.

"Miyuki will be the next head of the Yotsuba."

It was the most logical conclusion, but Tatsuya was surprised to hear this news.

"Oba-ue has decided already?"

Miya shook her head from side-to-side.

"She decided a long time ago, though she has told no one, including me, of it."

Tatsuya was confused by this answer.

"Then how…"

"I am lecturing to Budda here, but you are, despite your other magic handicaps, the most powerful Strategic Class magic user in the known world."

This was something Tatsuya had only finally and fully comprehended since Okinawa. Material Burst, the matter to energy conversion strategic class magic, had no known upper limit. All the other known strategic class magics had some limit to them imposed by the physical laws of the universe.

Material Burst was the glaring exception to this rule.

A sniper bullet had been enough matter to produce an explosive force of almost the same magnitude as the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb detonation, the most powerful nuclear weapon even detonated by the United States.

"You are literally the most dangerous person alive."

The matter Tatsuya could convert to energy was only limited by Tatsuya's ability to conceive of that matter. A sniper bullet is a small thing when compared to a paperweight, or a desk, or a building. Tatsuya knew, almost instinctively, that he had but to look up at the moon, or even the sun and all trace that humanity ever existed would be gone in the blink of an eye.

He truly hoped he'd never have the need to test his gut instincts on this matter.

"The only way imouto has to keep you in the fold is to tie you by your one string to the Yotsuba."

Tatsuya immediately understood.

"Miyuki."

Miya nodded vacantly to his correct answer.

"Gate dies today with me, not that I have been capable of using it on you for some time now."

The thousand yard stare was back in his mother's eyes.

"Cocytus is the only magic left that could turn you off should something unfortunate occur."

She turned those lonely, empty eyes on him again, as if looking through him to something beyond.

"Miyuki will drift to wherever you are and you will drift to Miyuki's side. Making Miyuki eventually the heir will tie Miyuki to Maya and thus tie you closer to her as well. There is simply no way Maya can let you build your own base of support within the 101 Battalion or the SDF as a whole, independent of her."

Tatsuya nodded his understanding to her.

"Thus Miyuki will be named the heir, so Oba-ue can retain control over me."

Miya nodded her confirmation to him.

"And after Miyuki becomes the leader of the Family in her own right?"

Now Miya turned a suspicious gaze towards her son.

"Something she would only want now for your sake. The Uncles won't tolerate you being the leader of the Yotsuba. They probably will not tolerate you being the power behind Miyuki's throne either. They are your enemies and by default are Miyuki's as well, so long as you are her favorite. They will assume they can pry her away from you, though. They don't understand…."

She looked vacantly out the window, allowing her words to trail off before continuing.

"I suggest you prepare to defend Miyuki and her rights when the time comes. I have no doubt you will prevail, but killing off half the Family to do so would leave you vulnerable to our outside enemies. Dominate them, but don't decimate them. Even you can be overwhelmed if everyone arrays against you."

She then smirked at him.

"You seem to already have the Kuroba Twins in your pocket despite Mitsugu's best efforts to the contrary. It's a start."

She then smirked towards the main residence gardens through the gauzy window covers.

"What Miyuki and you do after that is far beyond my abilities to speculate on."

He was perplexed by the turn in their conversation.

"Are you saying that, through Miyuki's love for me, that you expect me to become the defacto head of the Yotsuba?"

A mild laugh escaped her mouth as she looked vacantly at the maples with their yellowing to red leaves beginning to collect around their bases.

"Is that not the logical conclusion? Surely you are not surprised by this? Maya needs Miyuki to be her heir to control you. Once she dies or retires she won't give a damn what happens after that. You'll take care of the malcontents and after that Miyuki will do whatever her Onii-sama suggests she do."

Now it was Miya that cocked her right eyebrow at him as she turned away from the window.

"Have we been that effective at isolating you from the rest of us that simple logic cannot be believed by someone as logical in nature as yourself?"

Under the assumption that Maya would name Miyuki her heir to control him, and that Miyuki would continue to rely on him even after marriage and becoming the head of the family; the logical conclusion was that Tatsuya would at the least run the day-to-day affairs of the Yotsuba once Miyuki was the head. Something a bit more powerful than Hayama's relations with their Aunt was currently, but a similar role.

The hate and scorn he suffered at the hands of his "family" made this naturally logical prospect seem like a pure fantasy to him. He couldn't overcome his lifetime of experiences thus far to believe even the most likely of scenarios.

"Even if I could overcome the internal opposition. Even protected behind Miyuki, the government, the SDF, and the Ten Master Clans would never allow a Strategic Class magician to be the head of the Yotsuba."

Such an arrangement would be a threat to the established order of things. Having that much power in one set of hands would be intolerable to the rest of those that already held power.

This was truly a logical conclusion, but to his utter surprise, his mother giggled at it.

Once she stopped laughing she spoke again.

"My child, who could stop you?"

She smiled on him with a glow and a look he had never seen before from her. She almost looked at him as if she were proud of him.

"Only one magician in the world can now ever hope to stop you and she's more likely to be the one encouraging you forward. The only limitations on you now are your own scruples and Miyuki's good opinion of you."

She looked away with that far-off gaze again.

"No one else can hope to stand in your way."

She no longer had any fear of telling him the truth because she knew he had been trained and programmed as well as possible to deny himself and his own desires for the sake of another. For Miyuki's sake alone could her all-powerful son truly unleash his terrifying might against the world.

Even now he couldn't completely understand or process what she was trying to tell him.

"It's alright Tatsuya."

Again they locked eyes. Again he couldn't read her perplexing expressions. Again she smiled at him with sympathy he rarely ever saw in that beautiful but normally cold face.

For some reason he could not explain, even in what was likely the very hour of her death, he had never seen his mother so "alive" before this moment.

"Miyuki wants us to have a last minute breakthrough here, does she not?"

Only mildly surprised by his mother's next question, he answered her almost immediately.

"I will tell her that we parted company on good terms. That should relieve her."

Miya smirked back at his answer.

"And are we?"

Tatsuya had to blink a few times before formulating a reply question to answer his confusion.

"Are we what?"

Her eyes noticeably softened before she spoke again.

"Are we parting on good terms?"

Her wry smile remained as she looked away from his perplexed glare.

"After all, even I can acknowledge that I was a terrible mother to you."

Tatsuya composed himself quickly and with his hands again clasped behind the small of his back, he replied in a confident tone.

"I'm sure, given my unique abilities, you did what you felt was necessary."

Without turning to face him, her slight smile instantly turned into a frown before his eyes.

"Ah, necessity."

She paused to shake her head slowly.

"The root of all justifications. The ends justify the means. A cold-hearted philosophy that has justified the worst atrocities in human history."

Tatsuya couldn't help his face from returning to its previous perplexed expression. In his recollection, the only time he had seen his mother this animated and open before was in the Naha Airport as they awaited their flight. With Miyuki in the restroom, Tatsuya took the opportunity to confront his mother about the magic she had been using on him to manipulate his memories.

On that day, for the first and until now only time, he felt that he had had a real conversation with his mother.

Now, with death at the door, she seemed to be opening up to him again, of her own free will this time.

He couldn't let this chance pass.

"Since we are parting on good terms, I have a few additional questions for you."

The smirk returned with her eyes refocusing on him.

"Oh, how intriguing. And here I thought this would be a boring day for me."

Was she joking with him now? Tatsuya couldn't believe the possibility of that happening.

"If you would rather not…"

She slowly waved her right hand at him to get him to stop speaking as she herself spoke.

"No, it's fine."

She looked away from him then.

"As always, if it's something I can't tell you then I won't."

She folded her hands in an Ojou-sama like way on the blanket covering her lower half. Then she looked at him again with a serious expression.

"For having brought you into this cruel world and being the cause of additional cruelty to you, I suppose I owe you at least a few answers before I go."

With a mild hand flourish, she indicated for him to proceed.

"Why was I not killed as an infant?"

Her eyes temporarily expanded at this first question. She quickly regained her composure before responding.

"An aggressive start."

Tatsuya showed no discomfort at his mother's retort. Seeing this she looked away again and proceeded to answer him.

"Eisaku-Oji-sama immediately took that option off the table. He was intrigued by your powers and believed that they could be harnessed for the family's benefit."

Tatsuya's lips only slightly indicated the beginnings of another wry smile as he pushed forward for more details.

"Still, as you have said yourself, I am literally the most dangerous person alive. Surely it would have been better to kill me before I could use my power. Even if Oji-sama opposed it, I'm sure there were plenty of times when you were alone with me. Wouldn't it have been the responsible and logical thing to do?"

Miya wouldn't look at him but even Tatsuya could tell he had hit a nerve. Her eyes wondered in their sockets for a few seconds and then she forcibly turned away from him.

"You…"

She paused to collect herself before continuing.

"….assume I could do such a thing to my own child?"

Not the answer Tatsuya had expected. Not given the history of willful neglect from his mother towards him. Still, he intended to press onward.

"It would have been the logical thing to do for the greater good of humanity. I am an existential threat to the continued existence of the entire human race."

At her continued silence, he threw a verbal dagger at her.

"Nothing in the history of my dealing with you would indicate any emotional issue related to killing me."

She whipped her head around at him with anger flashing in her eyes. She almost looked like she was going to bound up out of her chair and smack him.

 _"Who is this woman? Where has she been all these years?"_

This level of emotional response was beyond what he thought his mother was capable of.

She had gripped the arms of the high-backed chair as if to stand, but then all the anger that seemed ready to burst forth from her instantly disappeared. The frail woman on Death's door returned, and sank into the chair and the blanket as if she were about to disappear in them.

"Despite my cruel treatment of you, it had its purpose."

It was more a mumble than a spoken statement. To Tatsuya's ears, it sounded more like she was talking to herself than him.

"Did you think it was easy for me? To treat my own child that way?"

Her sad eyes bore into him and for some reason, he felt mildly offended she could ask him that question and specifically with that look. He straightened himself, arms still locked behind his back.

"You made it seem…..effortless."

Those sad and lonely eyes turned away from him then.

"Well…..I suppose I deserve that."

Then she turned to him again, with the slightest glimmer of "fire" in her eyes.

"No matter what you think of me, as a woman and as a mother, I would never intentionally harm my own child if it were not for their own long-term benefit."

She seemed genuinely upset at him.

"I may be cruel, but I am still human."

She turned her eyes even further from him, as if suddenly embarrassed.

"You weren't killed by me because I could never have done such a thing, or allow it. You are, despite everything, my own son."

Then a petulant expression crossed her face.

"I hope that satisfied your curiosity on that subject?"

Tatsuya was truly fascinated by the unexpected reactions his normally taciturn mother had displayed to him.

"It was most illuminating, my thanks."

She turned angry eyes toward him again before looking away.

"You have another question?"

Tatsuya nodded to her inquiry

"Indeed."

He slightly moved his left leg before repositioning himself more in her line of sight.

"If Miyuki's Cocytus is meant to stop me from abusing my abilities, and after all the careful work everyone put into distancing her from me emotionally. Why did you so easily relent after Okinawa to her new-found affections for me?"

Miya took in his question with an interested look. Once it was her turn to reply she waited for a few moments as if she were finding it difficult to answer him.

"Because her loving you….."

She paused to bite her lower lip as if not sure of what she was about to say.

"….means she could never allow you to become something she could hate."

Tatsuya again was perplexed by this answer.

"I don't follow the logic."

A wistful smile crossed Miya's face as she looked back at him.

"Good, it will give you something to ponder until you can. It is the only answer to your question I have for you. When dealing with emotions, logic is not a prerequisite condition. Next question."

Tatsuya was surprised by how illogical his mother's response was. He decided that since her time was short he'd ponder her statements on his own later and proceed.

"Very well."

He looked away out the windows to the gardens beyond for a few moments before returning his eyes to his mother.

"Why am I here?"

She blinked at his question to her.

"What do you mean?"

"Here, in this room, with you, at the hour of your death? You love Miyuki intensely, and yet you specifically called me in here instead of her. That makes no sense. I have been a great disappointment to you, and yet you chose to have me here and not her?"

He paused to give her a moment to respond, but seeing her look away again as if she planned to ignore him, he pressed the issue.

"Why am I here mother?"

She took in a ragged breath before forcing out a response.

"Because in the last moments of this existence…"

She was practically whispering now. She again seemed like she was talking to herself and not him.

"…I have suddenly become very selfish."

Tatsuya mildly shook his head at this confusing response.

"I don't understand."

Miya's eyes drifted to lock onto her son's visage.

"You think the way I treated you has cost me nothing?"

She turned away from him with a bitter expression.

"You have known since Okinawa that the magic I had been using on you took away years from my life."

Again she turned her eyes upon him, this time with the familiar look of disappointment.

"And still…you think I treated you poorly because it was what was best for me? It would have been so much easier for me to have treated you as normal mothers get to treat normal sons."

She turned again from him, this time with a look of sad resignation.

"But to have loved you as a mother would have been the worst thing I could have done to you."

She clenched her jaw as if fighting back pain, but Tatsuya could see in Elemental Sight that she wasn't experiencing that sort of physical pain at the moment.

"Do you know what it cost us both for me to do that? To suppress and abandon my motherly instincts? You have seen me with Miyuki. You know what I am capable of as a mother."

Now the eyes she turned to look at him with were radiating an emotion Tatsuya couldn't read. If he tried to put words to that look he might have said "pleading".

"I have done what needed to be done DESPITE what nature called on me to do because it was what was best not only for you but everyone."

She took another ragged breath before continuing. He could see that her reserves of energy were all but depleted now.

"And it has cost me my life to do so, Tatsuya."

Was this stoic pillar of his existence suddenly becoming a fragile and emotional creature before his eyes? Tatsuya was surprised and confused by this whole exchange.

"I never understood why you would waste your life energy on a defective product. There's no logic in it. You should have killed me as an infant, but you did not. It has perplexed me since Okinawa."

She looked up at him from the chair. An indescribable expression on her face. For the first time in his life, Tatsuya felt like his mother was looking at him and only him. Not seeing his awesome destructive powers or their consequences. It was as if she finally saw the young man and not his defects.

"There is nothing in this world I have ever wanted more than to have had the chance to treat you as I do Miyuki."

Now Tatsuya clenched his jaw in surprised frustration. A sudden knot of pain seized his chest. He hadn't felt this sensation since that night on Okinawa more than two years before.

"I…I can't understand….."

He wasn't looking at her anymore as he worked to suppress the sudden sensation inside him. He didn't see the sympathy in his mother's eyes she directed towards him.

"But my son was born with a fatal flaw. He was made the ultimate living weapon. The culmination of all the demonic dreams of those that breed us magicians like cattle for the slaughter."

In his sudden discomfort, he didn't see her slowly and inadvertently extend her right hand toward his left arm.

"A weapon that could inadvertently be set off by the seemingly most innocuous of things."

Tatsuya's eyes suddenly flashed at his mother with what in a normal boy's face might be called anger.

"And that would that be?"

She quickly withdrew her extended hand before he could notice it.

"...love."

At the mention of the emotion that he could only feel for one person, the knot in his chest suddenly intensified in discomfort.

"You, my son, could not be allowed to have emotions outside of those you have for Miyuki."

Miya turned her eyes away from him again. The familiar glare off into the far distance returned.

"She alone can stop you. Had anyone else…"

Suddenly it seemed as if she were having issues catching her breath.

"…including your mother, been allowed to…"

She was openly breathing heavily now.

"I…..I can't…."

Tatsuya forgot all about his unexplained knot of discomfort and moved closer to the chair. She looked up at him and then extended her right hand upwards.

"I believe that I am done with chairs."

He grasped her hand in his and placed his other hand behind her elbow.

"Get me to my feet please."

As he gently applied force to lift her upward she suddenly went limp in his arms. He was forced to grab her around the waist to keep her from falling back into the chair. Her breath was ragged, and her eyes rolled back to the back of her head.

"Mother!"

"Ahh!"

After releasing that sound from her lips her eyes refocused again to see her son's face next to hers as he supported her weight.

"Perhaps I am done with walking as well?"

Without being asked Tatsuya scooped his mother's body up into his arms and lifted her as if she were as light as a little girl. For some odd reason, she seemed to blush in that moment as he gently carried her to the bed.

Beside the bed, he gently sat her down and turned her so that she could grasp the nearest post of the bed frame.

"Perhaps you should lay down?"

Her chest still heaving, she turned weak eyes up towards him.

"For the last time, you think?"

Seeing that he didn't have a response to that she turned her eyes from him and let him support her weight as he angled her into the bed. As her head touched the pillow and he removed his hand from the back of her head she suddenly smiled lightly at him.

"You have been told by others that you are plain looking for a man."

He nodded acknowledgment of her statement. He had never concerned himself with his looks beyond the basics of masculine grooming, but he was often told he was plain looking.

"I have never said such to you."

She was right. In his recollections, his mother had never once commented on his attractiveness.

"Since I consider you to favor me over your father in the looks department, one could say that you are in fact quite handsome."

She seemed to be getting surprisingly agitated by this.

"Your aunt and I certainly were told all our lives how pretty we are. If the same person that says you are plain says we are pretty, then that person is lying to one of us."

Tatsuya looked on with mild curiosity as he placed additional pillows behind her head.

"Maya thinks you look like Father."

Tatsuya stopped midway through his actions when his mother's declaration hit his ears. They looked at each other intently for a moment, and then his mother turned from him with mild embarrassment showing.

"I suppose you do look like father a bit, but then so do Maya and myself, so that's only natural.

Tatsuya nodded his understanding and reached down to lift the bed covers over her.

"No, no covers."

He stopped his actions and stood upright. It seemed then she remembered the white kimono she was wearing. After a moment of contemplation, she turned an almost mirthful look towards him.

"Do you think I should go ahead and switch the lapels?"

With kimonos, the only time the right side lapel would cover then left was in death. For some reason, he couldn't explain the knot in his chest came back for a moment.

"No mother, you are still alive. I will take care of that for you."

She blinked at him in surprise for a moment, and then the most fragile of smiles crossed her delicate lips.

"Though I don't deserve it?"

She practically whispered the question. Tatsuya pondered her meaning before replying.

"I have been your Guardian since Honami's death. It is my duty to serve you."

As his words hit her mind the smile vanished as if it had never been there and a light that seemed to be in her eyes just moments before went away with it.

"Ah….yes."

It seemed as if the last string of hope Miya had left to her had just been severed.

"As my Guardian."

She looked absently down toward the end of the bed now. Lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

"You will make sure that I am properly displayed for Miyuki's sake?"

Tatsuya, again in parade rest position with his arms behind his back, nodded to her as he replied.

"Of course."

She sighed lightly, then spoke again.

"Everything you will need is in the top shelf of the dresser."

Tatsuya's eyes drifted in the direction of the dresser near the entrance before returning to his mother.

"Understood."

Again she looked off with that thousand yard stare again. Aiming it towards the far window this time.

"Did you have any more questions for me?"

"No."

Suddenly before his eyes, his mother seemed to shrink into a small girl. A sad and frightened small girl who seemed to want him to give her some form of comfort in her last minutes.

"...I see."

His own size had exceeded her in the last two years since Okinawa. Now he was nearly half a head taller than her and more than four kilos heavier. It was in these last two years, as Miyuki and he grew, that Miya declined rapidly before their eyes. She was still taller than Miyuki, but she probably weighed a bit less than her daughter now. Compared to himself she seemed small and fragile now.

Tatsuya didn't have it in him to waste comfort on someone who was not Miyuki, even their mother. If anyone should have been able to understand that it was surely the woman who had denied him the ability to feel for others.

Yet here she was, acting as if she had forgotten that it was she herself that had turned him into this hardened creature.

Despite himself, Tatsuya decided to do what he could to alleviate her with his limited abilities.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

She turned her eyes towards him and he saw her eyes glow for a moment. Then she turned away embarrassed. She seemed to be contemplating something significant that was causing her great consternation. Then the weak sound of a response slipped from her mouth.

"…..yes."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"There is."

She slowly released the breath and spoke again.

"Take off your house shoes and lay down on the bed beside me."

Tatsuya's mind seemed to be having a hard time processing the request he had just heard.

"I beg your pardon?"

The line of Miya's mouth hardened into a frown before she replied.

"I didn't stutter."

Tatsuya's eyes rolled around for a second as he still couldn't believe her request.

"You want me to lay down beside you in the bed?"

She was both embarrassed and frustrated at this point.

"That IS what I said, is it not?"

Now all he could do is comply with this most unusual of requests.

"Yes."

He approached the corner of the bed and sat down. Then removed his house shoes.

A sudden possibility struck his mind and he turned to confront his mother.

"You realize that you are no longer capable of taking my memories from me with that magic, right?"

Miya looked both irritated and hurt by his suspicions.

"Please wait till I am dead to insult me."

The venomous response surprised Tatsuya.

"I didn't….mean to imply…."

A heavy breath of exasperation escaped his mother's lips and stopped his words mid-sentence. She then aimed intent eyes at him.

"You will erase all traces of that magic that you possess as you promised me, correct? Miyuki can never be allowed to..."

"I have already, mother."

She looked at him intently for a few more moments, and then great relief seemed to flow into her.

"...good."

She then gently patted the bed beside her with her left hand to indicate for him to lay down.

With no alternative left to him, Tatsuya swung his feet up and lay beside his mother with his back firmly against the bed.

"Stretch your right arm out."

At first slightly confused by the instruction he received, Tatsuya extended his right arm over the pillow his mother's head was laying upon. She lifted her head and laid it upon her confused son's arm. Then to his further surprise, she weakly pushed herself into the space snug to his right side with her own face just centimeters from his own.

Seeing his disturbed confusion on his face, she blushingly provided an explanation.

"So that I can look out the window. I can lay my head on your right shoulder and see out the window. I want to watch the leaves fall in the sunlight."

Her eyes now focused across his chest to the nearest window, Tatsuya's surprised eyes looked upward towards the canopy of the bed they now shared.

Time seemed to stretch on awkwardly for him. To his best knowledge, this was the first time he and the woman that gave birth to him had been this close physically to each other since his infancy. He can count the number of times previously that they had even touched each other for a non-practical purpose on just one of his hands.

Into this awkward silence, a near whisper reached his right ear.

"I have made arrangements for you to stay with Miyuki overnight in her room. She will need you….well…she will always need you; but tonight, she will need you physically close at hand, even as she sleeps. The next few weeks will be very hard for her."

The love Miyuki had for their mother was the defining aspect of her life up to this point. Tatsuya was well aware of the difficulties ahead for her.

"I understand."

He could understand her need for him to mitigate her loneliness after their mother's death. He, of course, could never hope to understand the emotional pain she would experience. Either way, he would be there for her.

"I would recommend going through Hayama whenever you need anything from your aunt, or when you must report information to her. He is adept in filtering out things that would cause unnecessary friction with her. Both of you should avoid direct contact with her as much as possible."

This was a suggestion to continue her own policy when dealing with her twin. Hayama often acted as the go-between with the two sisters that rarely spoke directly. It was still sound advice.

"Especially you."

This addition to her advice was slightly confusing for him, but he resisted the urge to ask her for elaboration.

"I….understand."

After his slightly awkward response, a few more moments of silence ensued between mother and son. He became aware, without looking at her, that her eyes were focused on his face and not her stated purpose for their strange coziness of looking out the window. She again broke the quiet with a whisper.

"You asked me why I chose you to spend my last few moments of life with."

He nodded softly as not to rock her head on his shoulder.

"It's because you can handle it. My death will not affect you emotionally. Miyuki will see enough hardships in her life. No need to add me dying before her eyes as one. I'd rather her memories of me were all positive ones."

This was something Tatsuya could heartily agree with.

"Of course."

Despite their own difficulties interacting, both were aware of each other's value to Miyuki. Tatsuya would never allow anything to harm Miyuki if he can help it. Miya's death was unavoidable, but her memory would strengthen Miyuki as a person.

"I answered you earlier that I was being selfish by having you here."

This change in topic resulted in a verbal confirmation from him.

"You did."

She surprised him with her next words.

"I didn't want to start this new journey alone, and outside of Miyuki, there is no one else I could share this moment with other than you."

He could sense that her eyes were focused on the window now instead of his face.

"And even Miyuki might still be too young to understand it all, but not you."

To his mounting surprise Miya now weakly extended her right arm across his chest. Once her hand was tucked between his left side and arm, she applied light force to pull herself into him even more. To his stunned and confused mind, it seemed as if this cold and distant mother he had known was suddenly embracing him.

"Just one more heavy burden for my son to bear in this life. I am a cruel mother indeed."

After a moment to focus his mind during this mentally confusing exchange, Tatsuya managed a feeble sounding response.

"I do not consider this to be a great burden, outside of the fact that being here prevents me from directly comforting Miyuki at this difficult time."

Her eyes still locked outward toward the world beyond the window, a heavy sigh escaped her lips. A few seconds later the weak voice spoke again.

"Miyuki….yes."

Tatsuya readily admitted to himself his limitations in understanding emotions. Since laying down in this bed just a few minutes before, he had been taxed to his limit in emotional understanding.

"Cling to her and protect her. She is your hope and salvation."

Hope and salvation weren't words he associated with his mother's typical speech patterns.

"I will."

And he would, for Miyuki's sake he would do anything. For him, this was the easiest of replies to give.

"I know. I designed her that way."

Now a stab of concern hit his mind. What did she mean by "designed her that way"?

"…what?"

She slightly tightened her grip around him and moved her head to a more comfortable position while ignoring his one-word question.

"It is wrong to be jealous of one's on children."

Another surprising comment threw him off track again.

"I…suppose so."

 _"Is she jealous of me? That I will get to live a life with Miyuki that she cannot?"_

The idea that Miya could be jealous of a defective product like him seemed fanciful at best. The alternative scenario, which was potential jealousy toward Miyuki's impending life with him, never occurred to the self-deprecating Tatsuya.

"She can give you what you need. She will keep you human."

Tatsuya only had a vague understanding of this comment. Sensing her psions nearing their final exhaustion Tatsuya was forced to assume that some of what he was being told were just the ramblings of someone slowly losing their last connections to this life. Instead of bombarding her with questions for clarification, he would do his duty.

He would stay in this position and with his mother, till she was no longer with him.

He could understand sympathy, even if he was incapable of feeling it.

And he understood duty and obligation, even towards someone who was ashamed of him.

"Most people love the Spring. First the cherry blossoms, and then the plum blossoms, and finally all the flowers are in bloom before Summer. Admittedly it is the most colorful time of the year."

She sighed again in what seemed to be a contemplative state of mind.

"I've always liked the Fall, though. Despite its associations with impending Winter, there's still something beautiful in the completion of the annual mission of mother nature."

Just as that day in August on Okinawa, when he confronted her at the airport; again he felt he was seeing another unknown side to this cold and distant mother.

"Something nice about the idea of one last effort before the rest that finally comes with Winter. The vibrant colors, though different than the hues of Spring, are still lovely to behold."

There was a surprising longing in her words. A yearning for something she had lost a long time ago. If he didn't know better it seemed like she wanted to go outside and watch the leaves fall one last time.

"The crispness of the wind moving through the branches and leaves, bringing a much-needed relief from the oppressive heat of the Summer."

Perhaps it was her returning to a child-like state just before the end of life. She seemed innocent and fragile to him suddenly. She seemed like a stranger compared to the woman he had known.

"Spring is all full of false hope. It is only in the Fall that one finally understands the true mean of life."

After a long pause, he asked her the obvious question.

"What would that meaning be?"

Soft and kind eyes met his own concerned gaze.

"That all life must eventually come to an end."

A sad but inevitable conclusion, delivered with a slight smile of reassurance.

"That seems rather dark, even given your current situation."

And for the first time in his life, to his own knowledge, his mother, Miya of the Yotsuba, gave a genuine smile to the son that had been her greatest disappointment in life.

"Then you have hope, my child?"

That knot of pain stabbed him in the chest again out of nowhere. He swallowed hard before responding.

"Hope…..might be the wrong word."

Her smile never wavered.

"Then what is the right word?"

He felt his already round eyes widen as her left hand came up and cradled his left jaw.

"I….am not certain."

That surprisingly warm and hopeful smile, those happily shining eyes. This was not Miya Yotsuba. Not the Miya Yotsuba he knew.

"Could it be…..Faith?"

Fighting down the confusing pain in his chest and the strangeness of the moment, he mustered another response.

"Too grand of a concept for me. Though…"

Her smiling face gently encouraged him along with her words.

"Go on."

He offered the only reply his struggling consciousness could find at the moment.

"Perhaps believing in the cyclical nature of the Universe is a certain type of Faith?"

She twisted up the corner of her smile into a wry grin before responding.

"Perhaps it is."

Tatsuya instantly recognized this facial expression as one he himself often gives.

He could no longer hold back his curiosity.

"If you don't mind, I have one more question for you."

She dug her head back into his right shoulder and returned her eyes to the window.

"No, I don't mind. Your natural curiosity is something I have always liked about you."

Again another unexpected word of kindness from her. He pressed onward.

"I was born in April."

He hesitated to proceed but for only a moment.

"Am I the reason you prefer the Fall to Spring?"

To his continuing amazement, a small giggle escaped her mouth.

"Oh no."

She even shook her head slightly at his suggestion.

"I have made many mistakes in life but they have all been mine."

Tatsuya suddenly noticed that their breathing had synchronized.

"I stayed when I should have gone."

He felt surprisingly calm despite the awkwardness their sudden "closeness" had been causing him before.

"I obeyed when I should have defied."

His mind began to feel lighter. As if his burdens were receding from him.

"I stopped when I should have run."

Tatsuya began to find a warming sensation in his chest where moments before the tightness of the strange pain had been.

"And worst of all."

He felt like he was near to sleep.

"I underestimated another's desire to make what was mine her own."

His conscious mind suddenly realized that his control over his body was escaping him.

"I turned my eyes from the danger, and it cost us both everything."

"Cost us….everything?"

He was finding it hard to respond to her.

"I'm not certain what…."

Her hand again caressed his jaw and he drifted further from the conscious world.

"Fate made you the ultimate weapon, so I did what I had to do."

Sadness reached his mind from…somewhere. Her voice perhaps?

"If you were to weld the mightiest of all swords, then I had to give you the armor worthy of such a warrior."

He suddenly began to realize something was acting against him.

 _"Magic? But she is too weak to….."_

His mind told him to fight it, but his body was unwilling to obey.

"I was hard, to make you ever harder. I was cold as iron to make you into forged steel."

Her words seemed to be coming from the other side of the room now instead of being whispered to his ear. Yet her voice was suddenly clear and strong as if she was shrugging away impending Death with ease.

"Even now, still yet a boy, no one individual on this Earth can hope to defeat you when you unleash your full abilities upon them."

Suddenly Tatsuya wasn't sure it was even his mother talking to him anymore.

"I can remember the cherry blossoms the Spring you were born. It was a particularly good year."

He was hearing her voice or was it someone else's. Was it Miya, or perhaps Miyuki? Could that be Honami's voice he was hearing now?

"They had almost all fallen around the coast by your birthdate, but here in the mountains they had just started to bloom fully."

The warmth increased as his fragile grasp on consciousness slowly drifted further from his reach.

 _"How can she…use….Gate…..in her condition?"_

"I rocked you in my arms for perhaps the last time, as I watched the petals fly in the light wind through that very same window we are looking through now.

 _"Or is this the magic from…Okinawa? To erase my….memories?"_

"It was the saddest and the happiest time of my entire life."

Her words, or those of another, reached his ears. Though subtle, the differences between his mother and aunt's voices had joined in a chorus of other voices in his mind.

"But….how can that….."

It was his turn to sound feeble.

"Rest now my son."

Blackness began to engulf him from all sides.

"Wait….I…I….."

A warm hand, was it real or the memory of a warm hand? Suddenly added to the warmth radiating from his chest.

"Your rest will be a short one and mine much longer, but we can both lay down our burdens for a time together here."

The world of dreams had merged in his mind with reality.

"When you wake the cruel world will still await you, but you will conquer it as you were made to do. So for now, rest my child."

He felt as if he were being enveloped in someone's arms. He felt tiny compared to them.

"Here in my arms, where cruel fate took you from so young. Again I can hold my precious boy in this one quiet moment."

He could smell her, his mother. A faint scent as if pulled from the memories of his childhood that he no longer possessed.

"And if there is Hope, and if there is Faith; then perhaps this will not be the last time I hold my poor abused son in my arms."

He suddenly felt a great urge to hold onto the presence that had seemingly lifted him up as if he were a baby into its mysterious embrace.

"We have immortal souls, my child. Keep your Faith in the cyclical nature of the Universe."

Despite what was left of his conscious mind knowing that something was wrong, this near dream-like version of himself was content.

"The wheel of fate will reunite us in a better world, my beloved Tatsuya."

He felt like he was now clinging to the mysterious presence. As if he couldn't let it go.

"It is selfish for me to say this, especially now, but I have never stopped loving you."

Was this…could it be…"Happiness"? If felt to him the same as when Miyuki smiled at him. Could this warm feeling overcoming him in his sleep…."Love"?

Darkness finally closed off the last light of consciousness as the chorus of women's voices spoke to him one last time. Something warm, and refreshing seemed to pass through him in that moment.

"And I never will."


	2. Chapter 2

Considering himself to be almost a human machine, Tatsuya had a very well defined sense of time. Without using Elemental Sight to review the Eidos Log he knew that he had slept for approximately fourteen and a half minutes.

He cracked open his eyes that were already turned toward the windows in the far wall. The expected result had occurred while he slept.

Sunset had come to the Japanese Alps slightly earlier than the rest of central Honshu, like normal.

The last rays of the previous day's sunlight could still be seen even now on both Honshu's Pacific and Sea of Japan coasts, but the high mountains to this village's western side effectively stopped them from reaching the high vale this unnamed settlement sat within.

Were he to step up to the windows only blackness broken by flickering on electric lights would greet his eyes in the horizontal plane.

If he were to turn those eyes skyward, the heavens above would still be oddly bright and blue. The clouds still mysteriously white and glowing in horizontal sunbeams.

It was an oddity of nature in the mountain valleys that night came on the ground sometimes as long as an hour before the stars could first be seen.

The room, like the world outside, was also dark now.

As his eyes quickly adjusted he took stock of his situation.

Suddenly the mystery of his unexpected "nap" came to the forefront of his mind like an avalanche.

Inside his mind, he quickly reviewed the Eidos Log of the last thirty minutes.

Having done so in what was almost the blink of an eye two mysteries now faced him.

The first was the mystery of why he fell asleep uncontrollably. That mystery was only intensified by what he saw in the Eidos Log.

Having expected to see some magic being used to force sleep upon him, or perhaps an unforeseen drugging, instead what he saw only made the situation more mysterious.

 _"….nothing?"_

His mind couldn't process the fact that he had a sudden and uncontrollable urge to fall asleep of his body's own accord. He had had sleep deprivation training of an extreme nature. If there was one person in the world that could fight off sleep it was surely himself.

Yet having slept well the night before, and with no strenuous activities to justify his unexpected reaction to laying down, he had simply seemed to have fallen asleep.

 _"Have they found a way to tamper with the Eidos Log? To change it so that I can't see what truly occurred?"_

The Yotsuba were the premiere practitioners of mental interference magic in the known world. If the ability to rewrite Eidos existed it was the Yotsuba who would probably discover it. Such a thought sent true concern radiating through Tatsuya's mind. One of his trump card magics could now be compromised.

To add to this concern was now another mystery he had just discovered and was at equal pains to explain.

Reviewing the Eidos Log for evidence of the sleep agent he thought had been used on him, he saw an unexpected thing.

The Eidos Log and his own internal clock were now in disagreement.

According to the Eidos Log, Shiba Miya died shortly after laying her head on his shoulder.

It showed her last breath escaping her without her ever saying another word to him.

It also showed that he had been fully asleep nearly thirty seconds before her death.

 _"This…is not possible."_

Tatsuya had been subjected to the extremes of mental interference magic as part of his Guardian training. He knew, by instinct and experience, what mental interference magic was and what it felt like to be subjected to it.

Everything in his being was now screaming at him that the Eidos Log had been tampered with somehow. It was the only way to explain what he had experienced. He knew that his conversation with his mother had been real, despite what the Eidos Log was telling him.

And yet, to his great disturbance, he could detect no evidence that the Eidos Log was changed.

Either he had had an unlikely hallucination in his sleep, some unreadable magic had altered the Eidos Log, or something beyond the physical realm had occurred in this room on this evening.

None of those options provided any reassurance to him. He knew he would have to get to the bottom of what had happened before he could ever feel secure again.

But there was no time now for that.

The Eidos Log had shown him something more pressing.

The "Family" had gathered beyond the doors to this room. His sister and father were no longer alone. Several heads of the branch families were now in the hall beyond with them, with further family members gathering in waiting areas about the main residence.

 _"I have a duty to perform."_

Seeing Miyuki huddled in a chair in the hallway surrounded by the questioning and cold eyes of their relatives, with only their unreliable father to shield her, Tatsuya knew she needed him as quickly as possible.

He had a few more duties to perform in this room before he could rejoin her. The mystery of the Eidos Log would have to wait.

His eyes fully adjusted to the low light in the room now, Tatsuya became aware for the first time of the corpse lying on his right side.

Apparently, in the final moments of life, his mother had clasped her right hand around the hem of the opening of his button up shirt. Having been dead literally only minutes, there was no way rigor mortis had sat in yet. Still, Tatsuya could sense that her grip on his shirt was as tight as if she were alive. As his right arm was being held down by her head, he reached her right hand with his left hand instead.

He was only initially surprised by the fact that her hand was still warm. It took a surprising bit of effort for him to free his shirt from her with just one hand.

Once the hand was free Tatsuya finally turned his eyes toward the rest of her.

Here he saw a truly shocking sight.

 _"But…how?"_

Laying on his right shoulder, her face and eyes were pointed at his own.

Her eyes were open, the evidence of final tears shown as redness around the eyes and stains on her face.

Her mouth, slightly parted, was curved into a beautiful smile.

Though dead, to Tatsuya it seemed as if she were smiling at him.

The same smile his Eidos Log review told him she had never given him.

Yet here, before his eyes, as if she would speak at any second, his mother was smiling at him with a look of perfect joy.

An expression of happiness, he couldn't explain.

There seemed to be more "life" shining through those dead orbs than his mother had ever mustered in his lifetime to show even to her beloved Miyuki.

Tatsuya then realized that the last thing his mother had seen was his sleeping face beside her.

 _"Surely that could not have made her smile like this?"_

Yet here she was, smiling at him as if she had never felt an ounce of shame towards him, even once.

After what felt like only a few moments, Tatsuya realized that he had been transfixed by his mother's unexplainable look of joy for more than thirty seconds.

 _"What is wrong with me?"_

With that thought, he slowly extracted his right arm from under her head. Only then did her gaze stop focusing on him. The smiling visage was still there, but now focused lifelessly on the wall below the nearest window.

Tatsuya rose upward at the waist and swung his feet and legs off the bed. Once seated in an upright position he took a few deep breaths and rubbed at his temples, then at the bridge of his nose.

"What IS wrong with me?"

He whispered these words out loud as he kept his eyes closed.

Still pinching the bridge of his nose, he turned and opened his eyes to look down on the profile of his dead mother once again.

Why was that so mesmerizing for him to behold?

Why had it transfixed me?

Could my own mind be playing against me?

These thoughts all raced through his confused and perturbed mind. Now he was doubting everything he had experienced in this room this evening. What was real and what was imagined or implanted? He wondered if he could ever clear up the confusion he now felt or if it would haunt him for years to come.

 _"I have a duty to perform. For Miyuki's sake."_

He stood and slipped on his house shoes. As he did so he forced all his doubts into the back of his mind. Now upright he turned his eyes, now without confusion or concern, back to his mother's corpse on the bed.

 _"One final duty, for my Mother."_

With those words Tatsuya began the preparations for the public presentation of his mother's corpse.

He dutifully rolled her onto her back and arranged the pillows to provide a gentle slope upward for her upper body. Using supplies from the dresser his mother had told him of beforehand, he wiped away the tear stains around her eyes.

He never once thought of the reason behind those final tears, simply assuming her death had been somewhat painful.

He combed her hair with her favorite brush into the style she preferred.

Flowers had already been placed on the tables beside her bed. Lilacs, her favorite.

Tatsuya retrieved candles and incense burners from the dresser and sat them up on the tables with the flowers, lighting them as he did so.

He briefly considered applying makeup to her face but judged he would do a poor job of it.

Her eyes still drew his attention. Remembering that Miyuki had had many nightmares after seeing just the lower edges of Eisaku-Oji-ue's eyes at his own wake, Tatsuya could not allow her to see the stunningly lifelike gaze their mother now had. He reached over and placed his thumbs above her eyelids.

Then he stopped and slightly turned her head to face him.

Looking down into her eyes one last time he was again befuddled by her bewildering expression. The smile was still there. The joy.

 _"But the tears…."_

 _"How could she smile this perfectly, yet be in so much pain that she cried?"_

He looked into the eyes of his mother for the last time, and with no better answer than he had before staring into them, he gently pushed her lids closed. To his relief, they closed completely and with no need for glue, which she had included a tube in the dresser as well. She had apparently also remembered the great consternation Miyuki had experienced at that previous funeral and wished to spare her.

For some reason, not having to glue his mother's eyes shut was a great relief to him.

For a second, he contemplated trying to remove her smile by forcing the mouth and jaw into a more neutral position. He actually felt that she looked very unnatural with a smile on her face, and worried some would think he had forced her face into this un-Miya-like contortion for what they might assume was his own disrespectful and resentful reasons.

At the last second, he decided against it. Mostly because he worried that he could not get her face into an appropriate position to appear natural and might have to use Regrowth to restore the face to smiling.

The other reason he decided against it was because, even with her eyes now closed, the smile on her face was actually quite attractive.

She had been a beautiful woman by any definition of the term in life and somehow that awkward smile, so unlike her, made her seem young and….

 _"….Happy?"_

Tatsuya didn't know the answer himself since happy was only something he could relate to Miyuki.

He reached down and opened her white kimono only enough to retie it. The right lapel now over the left, as he had promised her he would do.

He stepped back and appraised his work.

Would she have approved?

He didn't know, and he never would.

She was gone now, this woman who had dominated his life up to today since it's very beginning.

Mistress or Mother? Every decision in his life and many in the future had already been decided by the woman who now lay dead before him. No matter what, her influence would continue to dominate Miyuki's and his own life for as long as they lived.

Miyuki's perfect mother, but incapable of loving him.

Such thoughts were best saved for another time. With the abilities her surgery on him provided, he would remember every detail of this moment in crystal clarity likely to the end of his own life.

There would be time enough to ponder the mystery called Mother.

 _"Miyuki needs me."_

In his own mind, these words defined who Shiba Tatsuya was. He was not Shiba Miya's son, or Shiba Tatsurou's either.

No, for him, he was and always would be what his mother had made him into.

The sword and the shield of Miyuki, of the Yotsuba.

Her brother, and her brother alone.

With one final and respectful bow towards the woman who gave him life completed, he turned towards the door and the one person in this world he could ever love.

* * *

As the doorknob turned he could sense all eyes aimed in his direction.

As he stepped out those looks transformed into contempt-laden glares.

He could sense two types of emotions from other people not named Miyuki.

Neutrality…and hostility.

Here his appearance was generating the later emotion in abundance within his new audience.

 _"They are your enemies and by default are Miyuki's as well."_

He heard his mother's words again in his mind as if she were whispering in his ear.

The heads of the branch families were all surrounding Miyuki and their father, and all their eyes now locked onto him, a fourteen-year-old middle school student, who had just lost his mother, with pure hatred.

Well, not all of them looked with hatred, but all of them looked on with one shared emotion between them.

Fear.

Since it was directed at him and not Miyuki, he dismissed it instantly and focused on the only truly important thing in the room.

Their eyes met.

The proper thing for him to have done was bow to his "Mistress" and humbly inform her of her mother's passing.

He knew Miyuki didn't want that, and he would give her exactly what she wanted and needed instead and the "Uncles" be damned.

He extended his hands toward her and lifted his palms outward, beaconing her into his embrace.

There was no hesitation.

As she leaped up and sprang towards him tears were already flowing freely from her eyes.

"ONII-SAMA!"

She didn't care one iota what any of them thought either, nor should she.

In a fraction of a second, he had her in his arms, sobbing and wailing in pain over her loss. There was no need for him to tell her, she knew the second she saw him and he could see her understanding in her eyes.

Words were unnecessary between them. They had become so in tune with each other that they understood instantly.

Their mother was dead.

He laid his head on top of hers and gently stroked her hair with his right hand while cradling her waist in his left arm.

Now the vultures in the room directed their animosity towards her as well.

Feeling it, he prepared to render them into ash if necessary.

Then he realized they were looking at her with disappointment.

The desire inside himself to burn them all still lingered within him.

 _"How dare you."_

He kept his own eyes closed lest he unleash the wrath he could only feel for Miyuki's sake upon these…..things.

Who did they think they were to judge someone as pure and generous of heart as Miyuki?

Before he could contemplate further ways to make them pay for their arrogant insolence, the mood in the room changed yet again.

This time fear remained, but of a different nature.

Tatsuya didn't even need to open his eyes to know who had finally made her appearance.

He could sense her looming presence bearing down on Miyuki and himself. Clearly, she felt it too, as Miyuki pulled away from him slightly.

Before she could wipe her tears away with her bare hands Tatsuya had out his handkerchief. Miyuki dabbed at her eyes with it as she was greeted by their aunt.

"My dear child."

The same face, and nearly the same voice.

Yet so very different.

Their mother's twin sister reached out her hands to Miyuki's head and stroked her hair and cheek. To Miyuki's credit, she didn't flinch or shrink away from her as she would have done even two years before.

"Words can never express the sorrow we share in this moment."

Tatsuya had been made to feel either another person's animosity or lack of animosity. To him, the range between devoted love and benign indifference did not exist outside of his and Miyuki's feelings toward each other.

"You have lost a loving mother, and I a devoted sister."

Maya gently took Tatsuya's handkerchief from Miyuki's hand and dabbed at the corners of Miyuki's eyes with it.

"And yet we can take some comfort in the knowledge that Onee-san is suffering no longer."

What had always concerned Tatsuya the most about their aunt, their mother's twin sister, was that he couldn't sense anything from her on any level at all.

As she dabbed lightly at Miyuki's tears she gently directed that unreadable smile towards her sister's other child. To his own credit, Tatsuya didn't react under the head of the Yotsuba Family's enigmatic stare either.

Maya handed the now moist cloth back to its owner and wrapped Miyuki inside her right arm.

"As per my Onee-san's wishes, we'll proceed with the ceremony tonight."

She then directed her gaze toward Hayama, who had emerged in his usual place right behind her.

"Please have the staff serve dinner for the family in the banquet hall and make the announcement to the village so that they can come pay their respects."

Hayama bowed while asking a question.

"At eight o'clock as planned madam?"

Maya turned what was meant to be a concerned gaze down towards her niece as she answered.

"Yes, moving quickly was Onee-san's wish."

"So soon?"

Suddenly, as if from the shadows, the timid voice of their father broke into the air.

Multiple sets of eyes directed new animosity towards the speaker, but different than what Tatsuya had experienced himself.

Where they looked at him and his aunt with fear, nothing but contempt was shown towards Tatsurou.

"Did Onee-san not keep you informed of her wishes Tatsurou-san?"

Her voice was still gentle, but the underlying sense that he was some type of annoyance for her couldn't escape the notice of anyone present.

"Well, that's understandable, under the circumstances."

The uninformed would assume that Maya was implying that her sister had been too distracted by her impending death to keep her absentee husband abreast of all her final plans.

No one in this room was that uninformed.

The verbal jab by Maya at her brother-in-law's lack of fidelity to her sister was meant for the adult ears; but by Miyuki's own awkward expression, she clearly understood their aunt's implied meaning too.

For his part, Tatsurou was smart enough to shut his mouth after this form of rebuke.

Maya then turned her eyes towards her cousins and spoke to them.

"We have all lost a great family member and friend tonight. We shall honor Miya's life and cherish her memory with the same dignity and grace with which she lived it."

She stroked Miyuki's head once again.

"Miyuki-san and I shall join you all shortly in the banquet hall."

The gathered branch family heads bowed towards Maya, and then followed the servants towards the rest of the family gathered in the banquet hall.

At that moment Hayama returned and nodded to Maya to indicate that the preparations had been made.

It was then that she turned what were supposed to be concerned eyes towards her niece.

"Shall we pay our last respects now Miyuki?"

Tatsuya could feel Miyuki's tension level shoot up immediately. Despite her sudden discomfort, Miyuki meekly nodded her affirmation.

With their aunt's hand on her shoulder, she guided Miyuki past her brother who was now holding open the door to the room their mother's body lay in repose within.

Tear stained eyes locked with his own as she passed him. He smiled reassuringly at her to provide her with some small ounce of the moral support she would need once inside.

Behind his sister and aunt, their father followed at a noticeably awkward distance like a whipped dog. He purposefully avoided eye contact with his disappointing son.

Finally, Hayama followed at the end, his arms clasped behind his back in a respectful pose. When he stopped before entering the room Tatsuya finally directed a curious gaze towards him. Hayama gave him an awkward look that took Tatsuya a moment to comprehend.

 _"Sympathy?"_

His guess turned out to be correct. With a hand gesture, he indicated for Tatsuya to proceed him into the room. In this case, it was clear that Hayama considered Tatsuya to be a family member and not his subordinate servant. Tatsuya respectfully nodded to his superior and his consideration of him and went in first.

* * *

Miyuki had been brilliant by their dead mother's bedside. She even managed to smile most of the time.

She praised Tatsuya, who was standing at the door next to Hayama, for how wonderful their mother looked.

The only person in the room that looked like they could become overwhelmed by emotion was surprisingly their father. He even had to take out his handkerchief and dab at his eyes.

Is this real love for his estranged wife, or a show for Miyuki and Maya's benefit? Neither was likely to be impressed by it no matter the intent. Tatsuya quickly dismissed his brief musings on this topic as unimportant.

Their aunt seemed particularly interested in her sister's enigmatic smile.

Tatsuya pondered what their aunt must be feeling, looking down on someone with her own face, lying dead before her. What mysterious emotions and thoughts whirled inside her dark and scheming mind at that moment? The look on her face as she stared down at her twin sister's dead body held very little in the way of obvious sadness. She seemed to maintain a slight smile throughout.

Miyuki might call that a bone-chilling look, had she been in a position to see it like he was.

Miyuki didn't become emotional until they had reentered the hallway and was informed that Tatsuya would leave her for a bit. As she left to reluctantly join the rest of the family with their father and aunt, she turned pleadingly sad eyes towards him.

What could possibly be so important that it required him to abandon Miyuki at a time like this and at the mercy of "the family"?

Standing in the servant closet that Hayama had used earlier with the same man now, Tatsuya hoped to find out and quickly return to Miyuki's side.

"Please take a seat Tatsuya-dono."

As Hayama's subordinate, Tatsuya would have preferred to stand in his company. Realizing that Hayama was trying to be considerate of him under the circumstances, Tatsuya acquiesced without comment and took the offered seat.

"Allow me to personally express my condolences on the loss of your mother. While you may be a servant of the Yotsuba you are also Yotsuba by blood. No one understood this arrangement and its sometimes awkward duality better than Miya-Ojou-sama herself."

Tatsuya nodded his thanks before he replied.

"You honor this one, many thanks, Hayama-sama."

Hayama nodded his understanding to Tatsuya with a paternal smile.

"May this one also offer his condolences to you Hayama-sama?"

His perplexed expression indicated that Tatsuya had clearly caught Hayama off guard with this request.

"You may, of course, Tatsuya-dono, but whatever for?"

"Even before this one heard your heart-felt comments to his mother this afternoon, he was aware of the long-term harmonious association Hayama-sama shared with his mother. You spoke to her as a true friend today, which is something this one humbly feels was otherwise lacking in his mother's life. As her son, this one is grateful that Hayama-sama showed so much consideration and care for his mother throughout her lifetime."

Tatsuya rose to his feet before continuing.

"This one feels that Hayama-sama deserves condolences more than he, who had only brought disappointment and shame to his mother."

Tatsuya then bowed reverently towards the awkward looking Hayama.

"This one is grateful to Hayama-sama for all that he has done for his mother."

For a brief moment, Hayama looked as if he wanted to protest something Tatsuya had said just now. Whatever that had been, Hayama instead chose to suppress it behind a knowing smile. Hayama rose as Tatsuya remained bowed, and returned the bow to him.

"Your words honor me Tatsuya-dono. Many thanks to you."

They then both returned to an upright position.

"Please, let's proceed. I will already have to beg Miyuki-sama's forgiveness for taking you from her side at this difficult time. We shouldn't add additional tardiness to our sins if it can be avoided."

Tatsuya nodded his agreement as they both retook their seats.

"Toushu-sama wanted me to verify with you the information Miya-Ojou-sama imparted to you about the arrangements for Miyuki-sama and yourself from this point forward."

Tatsuya nodded his understanding and Hayama continued.

"Miya-Ojou-sama's shares of FLT are in a trust, which will be turned over to you upon completion of your high school graduation. At that time the property of Miya-Ojou-sama's household will become your property in law, but they are already in your possession in fact."

Tatsuya nodded again.

"Those shares will give you controlling interest in FLT, however, you may begin exercising control of the business now if you so wish with Toushu-sama's blessing. Her only conditions are that such work not interfere with your position as Miyuki's Guardian and that you will not mismanage the company to its detriment. She stated she doubt either eventuality were capable of occurring, given Tatsuya-dono's diligence in all things."

Tatsuya easily ignored his aunt's pointless praise at the end of Hayama's statement.

"I understand."

Hayama nodded and continued.

"You will, of course, use the shares of FLT and your control over the company for Miyuki-sama's direct benefit. While you are the de jure legal authority in all of Miya-Ojou-sama's property concerns after your father, that is, of course, predicated on the fact that Miyuki has overriding authority over you, as her Guardian."

This was the basic fact of Tatsuya's existence. He was practically his sister's slave and could do nothing without her consent, not that he would do so of his own accord either.

He readily nodded agreement.

"You have a signed copy of Miya-Ojou-sama's will, correct?"

Tatsuya nodded affirmation again to Hayama.

"Miyuki will enter First High this spring, and you will join her. While her own admission is a foregone conclusion your own might become an issue. We can offer any additional training or flash-casting that you may require but at the end of the day, if we must, we will manipulate the results afterward to ensure the desired outcome."

Tatsuya was painfully aware of his own limitations with systematic magic that the world magic community held as their standards of performance. That the National Magic University and its associated high schools used those same standards as admission requirements went without saying. Lacking painfully in that area, Tatsuya's real prospects to ever receive admission to one of the magic high schools were very low. Were he just some magician from a normal family he'd probably never pass the entrance test to even be a course two student.

But he was from no normal family.

When they had discussed it in the past, Miyuki had been very adamant that Tatsuya would get into First High without the family cheating his way in. For the past two years, she had been tutoring him in systematic magic and there had been some marked improvements. He judged his own desire to please Miyuki was the real driving factor behind his limited increase in performance.

For this reason, to please Miyuki, he too was determined to enter First High on his own merits.

"Ideally, you will achieve admission without assistance, and Miya-Ojou-sama herself was pleased with the progress you made working under Miyuki-sama's tutelage these last two years."

This was news to Tatsuya. He had assumed that their mother looked on Miyuki's efforts to help him improve as a waste of Miyuki's time.

To hear that his mother had been pleased by his results was actually a little disturbing for him.

"Not having to fix things on the back end will reduce any chances that the authorities can link you, and thus Miyuki-sama, back to the Yotsuba."

This too was another important benefit to achieving his own admission to First High without assistance. He realized he'd have to redouble his efforts before the First High entrance examination at the coming New Year.

"This one will do his best Hayama-sama."

Hayama nodded to him with a paternal smile.

"I am certain you will."

After a brief pause, Hayama continued.

"Miya-Ojou-sama arranged for you to stay with Miyuki-sama in her room tonight if that is her wish. You will inform her of this option when you consider it most appropriate."

Tatsuya nodded again.

"Once you return home, it's best not to sleep in her room with her after that."

Tatsuya knew his face showed the confusion he was feeling at this suggestion.

"That…..goes without saying Hayama-sama."

Hayama seemed amused by Tatsuya's perplexed expression as he elaborated further.

"While it would obviously be only for Miyuki-sama's comfort in a difficult time, things like that can become patterns and habit if overused. While no observation of the two of you in your home will be allowed, you are two teenagers of the opposite gender living in a large home by yourselves. While being siblings mitigates a great deal of the concern, better to leave as little room for others to ask strange questions of the arrangement as possible."

Here Tatsuya assumed that it would be strange questions from people who knew of the arrangement already. In other words, the "Uncles".

"This one understands Hayama-sama."

He thought again of his mother's warning to him, and the glares they sent Miyuki and his way in the hallway. He would not allow them to interfere in Miyuki's life.

"Since we are short on time I do believe that covers the finer points of Miya-Ojou-sama's arrangements for you and Miyuki-sama's future. Do you happen to have any questions for me at this time?"

Tatsuya nodded respectfully as he replied.

"Not at this time Hayama-sama, but may this one contact you if he has further questions?"

Hayama nodded to him with a smile.

"Of course, on this or any topic, as you like Tatsuya-dono. My line for you and Miyuki-sama is always free."

"Many thanks, Hayama-sama."

Hayama cleared his throat then before speaking again.

"Before you return to Miyuki-sama's side there is one thing we must discuss that Miya-Ojou-sama most likely did not mention to you, but she was aware of."

Tatsuya's suspicion level shot up quickly at this comment, but his exterior expression showed little change as he awaited Hayama's next words.

"This spring, Miyuki-sama and you will be exposed to your fellow magicians for the first time in large quantities. There are many talented people both working at and attending First High School. As talented individuals, they also will be more apt to recognize talent in others, which is unavoidable under the circumstances. Since Toushu-sama considers maintaining your anonymity from the Yotsuba a priority, it is vital to maintain tight information control."

A rare frustrated sigh escaped Hayama before he continued.

"Alas, someone of Miyuki-sama's talent level will draw unfortunate curiosity just from her magic abilities alone. Add to that her rare beauty and natural graciousness and she cannot avoid attracting attention."

Tatsuya already suspected that Miyuki's talent and Yotsuba training would make her more powerful and proficient than even most of the third year students at First High. Her looks were already issue though and one he was familiar with dealing with.

"Then there is the unique dichotomy that is you."

At Tatsuya's questioning expression Hayama elaborated.

"Despite your lack of systematic magical talent, you far exceed Miyuki-sama's own very high abilities with magic theory and other academic work. They will ask questions about how such a poor magician can be so good at understanding magic without being able to use it. In some ways, you will draw their curiosity even more than Miyuki-sama."

Hayama had a point. Understanding magic for most magicians required being able to at least perform the magic. The opposite was not necessarily true. One could use magic without the understanding, but it never worked the other way around. The common wisdom was that to understand magic required being able to use it.

That common assumption would need reevaluating once they met Tatsuya though.

"Should this one hold back on his academic ability?"

Hayama shook his head in contemplation.

"No. You'll need it to pass the entrance exam and to maintain progress in school."

He then locked eyes with Tatsuya.

"Toushu-sama believes that if you must explain how you can do so well with theory over implementation, that sacrificing the knowledge you can read activation sequences is acceptable, so long as you don't reveal how you are able to read activation sequences."

Tatsuya blinked in surprise. The ability to read activation sequences and magic sequences was a major trump card for him.

"That would explain away a lot of their questions, but will certainly raise their curiosity in another direction."

Hayama nodded his agreement to Tatsuya's statement.

"Indeed, but you will be capable of handling it. You will thus take a bit of the scrutiny off Miyuki-sama as well."

Hayama still seemed slightly disturbed in his thoughts.

"Still, you have other gifts that will also raise eyebrows. Decomposition is a rare and valuable ability in its own right. Since it is your specialty and you might need it to defend Miyuki-sama, Toushu-sama realizes it may be unavoidable to reveal it too."

Another surprising concession but it did free up a lot of his ability to protect Miyuki. Not that he would ever hold back if Miyuki were in danger. He'd use Material Burst of need be to protect her, and deal with the consequences later.

"Regrowth and Elemental Sight must be protected as much as possible. Toushu-sama fully expects Kazuma-san and Saeki-kaka to also be of accord with this."

That went without saying. The 101 Battalion would prefer he reveal nothing by not attending high school in the first place, but since Miyuki was going and the family's arrangement with Saeki-kaka place Miyuki's needs over those of the Self-Defense Forces, there was nothing they could do about it.

"Miyuki-sama and you will not only encounter talented magicians in First High's staff but also among your fellow students. There are two in particular that you should be warry of."

Tatsuya had already perused First High's current enrollment. He knew exactly who Hayama was refereeing to.

"Saegusa Mayumi-sama and Juumonji Katsuto-sama?"

Hayama was not surprised that Tatsuya already knew these names.

"Precisely."

He took out his data terminal from his waistcoat pocket and Tatsuya felt his own terminal buzz. Taking it out he saw both of their future sempais' profiles displayed.

"Since you are familiar with them already I will not go into detail on either. Saegusa-sama was just elected President of First High's Student Council, which is a surprisingly powerful position within the magic high schools. A nearly equally powerful position is the one Juumonji-sama has just been elevated to, that of Chairman of the Clubs Activities Group. These are two of the three 'executive' student positions at First High and it is no surprise that these two are occupying these positions."

He looked down at his terminal with a suspicious eye.

"You are already well aware of the history between this house and the Saegusa."

Tatsuya nodded. Considerable difficulties existed between the two powerful houses of Saegusa and Yotsuba. To say they were rivals was an understatement. Mayumi's father, and the current head of the Saegusa was once his aunt's fiancé. When that ended in a less than satisfactory result, the animosity between these two groups increased exponentially.

"The Juumonji are generally considered the Saegusa's most ardent allies. These two future sempais of yours have been linked directly to each other as a possible marriage, but we have it on good authority that neither party is interested."

That was an interesting tidbit of information, as much so for how the Yotsuba came by such information as the information itself. Tatsuya had to wonder whom this "good authority" was.

"Both are well familiar even at this tender age with the social circles of the Ten Master Clans. Juumonji-sama is his family's heir and has stood in for Juumonji-dono already in the Clans Conference once before."

Tatsuya was surprised by this information. To have a teenager represent your family among the other houses either was the height of folly or showed considerable maturity on that young man's part.

Juumonji Katsuto was already someone Tatsuya was warry of being around due to his position and particular magic talent, now he was clearly the most distressing of these two to him.

"Miyuki-sama's talent will certainly draw their attention, and thus the attention of their families, so we must be warry of them. However, contact between them and Miyuki-sama will likely be unavoidable. Your presence with her and uniqueness will also draw their curiosity, once they are familiar with Miyuki-sama and her living arrangement with her brother."

Hayama looked down at the floor with a concerned expression. Tatsuya wanted to ask what was bothering him but already had another question in mind.

"May this one ask, who the third person in an 'executive' position at First High is?"

"Ah!"

Hayama tapped a few buttons and another young woman's profile appeared. Tatsuya had already read her profile as well.

"This is Watanabe Mari-san, who has just became Head of First High's Disciplinary Committee."

Tatsuya raised his eyes to meet Hayama's.

"She is from a numberless family who have no other known magicians so her understanding of the Numbers System shouldn't be a concern."

Tatsuya nodded his understanding.

"Despite being numberless though, she is very talented and is generally ranked in the top three of her grade behind Saegusa-sama and Juumonji-sama."

Tatsuya was already aware of her talent level from viewing her test scores.

"However, she is very close with Saegusa-sama, having visited the Saegusa residence many times, and will most likely support Saegusa-sama in most positions."

This was new info to him, as had been her elevation to Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. In effect, she was First High's "police chief".

"She does have some connection with the Numbers though, particularly the Chiba Swordsmen."

Another fact about the young woman Tatsuya was unaware of beforehand.

"She was trained to proficiency in Chiba magic sword techniques by the so-called Chiba Kirin himself. She is also his current romantic interest, apparently with the approval of Chiba-dono."

This wasn't two people gossiping about a young couple's relationship. The fact that she was trained by one of the most well-known magic sword practitioners in the world told him that despite her family's humble origins, Watanabe Mari was a magician of concerning levels of talent.

Tatsuya was not personally familiar with the particular scruples of the Hundred Families, but from what he had heard they have the same outlook on marriage as the Twenty-Eight Families of the Clans Conference. The fact that the head of House Chiba considered a numberless magician worthy enough to date his prodigy son, suggested she was even more talented than the previous info indicated.

"This one will be warry of Watanabe Mari-san as well Hayama-sama."

Hayama nodded his agreement to this.

"That would be for the best."

Tatsuya then asked another question.

"May this one ask, is it possible Watanabe Mari-san is an Extra?"

Hayama shook his head no.

"Her family history is well documented since the Meiji Restoration. She is the only magician since that time produced by her family lineage."

Then Hayama seemed to remember something and sent Tatsuya's terminal another profile.

"This young woman, who is on Saegusa-sama's Student Council, most like is from an Extra family as well."

Tatsuya was also familiar with Ichihara Suzane's details too.

"Yes, this one was also curious about the last name. Has there been other evidence to support this?"

Hayama shook his head no.

"There is no data on her paternal great grandparents and her paternal grandparents aren't very well documented either. Both are usually a good indicator of potential Extra status. Her mother is from a well-documented family of medium magic talent, so her father's family history didn't seem to be a problem for the mother's family, or was hidden from them."

He then rubbed his chin in thought.

" 'Ichi' of course makes one think of the First Research Laboratory."

Tatsuya nodded in agreement.

"However, this young woman and her father have not demonstrated anything beyond normal proficiency in systematic magic. She apparently shares Tatsuya-dono's fondness for magic theory as her grades in that area are top in her class. Otherwise, she's worth keeping an eye on."

Tatsuya nodded again to him.

"Of course we're not going over this list of your future semapis to kill time. There is a point to this and that is the need to be warry and maintain your anonymity around these particularly well-equipped sempais. If anyone will be able to identify Miyuki-sama as a Ten Master Clan member it will most likely be them."

"To that end, Toushu-sama has made a decision on a course of action."

Tension shot through Tatsuya immediately at this statement.

"You are aware of Tsukuba-dono's signature magic Pledge?"

Tatsuya immediately understood what would happen next at the mention of Tuuka-Ojou-sama's specialty mental interference magic.

"Before you leave for home, Tsukuba-dono will apply Pledge between Miyuki-sama and yourself. The purpose of this, at least on the surface, is to limit your Decomposition."

Tatsuya nodded understanding, but then added a comment of his own.

"This one, of course with Miyuki-sama's willingness, will consent to the procedure. Yet this one must point out that Pledge will not have the desired effect of limiting this one's ability to use Decomposition outside of large area-of-effect casting."

Hayama gave Tatsuya a brief conspiratorial smile.

"That is why I said 'at least on the surface'. The true reason is that Miyuki-sama's current talents already exceed most of First High School's third-year students. To allow her to enter First High with no limitations on her extraordinary talent levels would practically be an open invitation for investigation into your true identities."

Tatsuya had been concerned about the very same issue. Miyuki was simply that talented and proficient. Her unrestrained magic would draw immediate attention from everyone.

"Even with half her psions being used to suppress your own, she will still be at the top of her class."

Tatsuya agreed with Hayama's assessment of Miyuki's abilities. Even handicapped by suppressing his psion usage ability, she would still be able to cast magics superior to most of her future classmates. While magics such as Niflheim, which require significant amounts of psions for usage, might be restrained by the effects of Pledge, he suspected that Miyuki might still have enough extra psions to activate even these types of psion-intensive magics if required, she was simply that talented.

Tsukuba Tuuka's signature mental interference magic Pledge forced one magician to use their magic calculation area to suppress the magic calculation area of another and visa verse. It did this by using a psion bond between the two. As a result, nearly half of each users' readily available psions were constantly involved in the bond and unavailable for usage in other magic.

There were also some potential subconscious telepathic qualities to the magic that should allow him to track Miyuki and her mood even more proficiently than he currently was able to. He was hopeful Pledge would give him a form of passive observation ability on Miyuki. Currently, he was using Elemental Sight in a semi-passive way to keep constant watch over her, but it did require some effort on his part to maintain. If Pledge could supplement or even replace this observation method with psions that would already be tied up in Pledge, then that would be to his immediate benefit.

Hayama's statement of "at least on the surface" indicated to Tatsuya that using Pledge on the siblings as a means to suppress his own abilities was meant for a particular audience's consumption. That audience was probably the Uncles. He yet again remembered his mother's last warning that the Uncles were his and Miyuki's enemies. They may well have insisted to Maya that Pledge be used on the siblings in an attempt to restrain him.

This desire of theirs to suppress his psion usage ability probably stemmed from a fundamental misunderstanding on their part of how Material Burst worked.

They probably assumed that Material Burst, a strategic class magic that to their knowledge was at least capable of producing explosions in the megatons of TNT range, would require excessive amounts of psions to perform. Naturally, such a misunderstanding of the magic came from observing it on video without the ability to measure actual psion usage on the scene. For Tatsuya, activating Material Burst required no more psions than using Acceleration or Phonon Mazer. While he would naturally have to use more psions to convert a truck's matter into energy for Material Burst than the sniper bullet he had previously used, Material Burst generated from a smaller amount of matter was still obviously devastating enough on its on.

He suspected that Maya was receiving some twisted form of pleasure from her erstwhile cousins thinking they had found a panacea to their fears of him in Tuuka-sama's magic.

He also suspected that Maya wanted to use Pledge on them to limit a recent ability development of his that no one outside of himself, Maya, his now deceased mother, and probably Hayama knew of.

His mother and aunt, and their uncle Eisaku before them, had always been diligent in limiting knowledge of his other abilities beyond themselves. The fact that she was willing to allow Decomposition and activation sequence reading to be learned by those at First High was a new level of openness for him. The Uncles, of course, knew he could perform Decomposition, but not his extreme proficiency with it. They had no knowledge of Elemental Sight or Regrowth yet.

Once they had returned from their eventful vacation to Okinawa over two years ago, Miya suggested to him that she believed he could use Decomposition as an area-of-effect magic. To that end, they began training him to do just that.

The results had been extraordinary, to say the least.

Prior to learning how to use Decomposition as an area-of-effect magic, Tatsuya had to use Elemental Sight to evaluate each target sent at him, be it projectile, magic, or energy. He had to identify every target, every bullet, every rocket, every grenade, every tank shell that an enemy fired at him. Only then could he use Decomposition individually on it to neutralize it. This was how he had defeated the enemy ground troops on Okinawa, and as can be surmised, it was a difficult task even for him.

Forced to use active Elemental Sight constantly while repeatedly casting Decomposition was draining. By the time he was ready to use Material Burst on the GAA attack fleet he was no longer capable of defending himself during Material Burst activation.

The result was that Honami had to sacrifice her life to defend him so he could destroy the enemy ships.

Had he known about the first method of using Decomposition area-of-effect magic on Okinawa, he could have defended her instead while destroying the enemy ships.

This method allowed him to use Decomposition as a shield that would destroy all projectiles, magic sequences, and energy forms that crossed his Decomposition barrier. There was no need to use Elemental Sight to identify each target. There was no need to cast Decomposition over and over again for each individual target. A fire and semi-forget defensive magic that would have allowed him to devote his attention to destroying the enemy.

 _"There would be no need for anyone else to die to protect me."_

His motivation to learn this magic was fueled by his desire to never have another die for his sake again. It was also fueling his research at FLT 3rd Research Division into developing a method for loop casting magic. They were close to a workable loop casting method already. He suspected it would be ready for public release before the end of the year.

The results of his newly learned technique were extraordinary. In the last test conducted over a month previous, he had cast a Decomposition area-of-effect barrier out from himself that had a radius of nearly a kilometer.[

To achieve that massive of a barrier had required more psion usage, however. This form of Decomposition was a psion hog. The greater the size of the barrier, the greater the psions needed to maintain it. With time, practice, and maturity, Miya estimated that Tatsuya could possibly cast a barrier large enough to encompass an entire city.

This would make this method of using area-of-effect Decomposition the first known strategic class DEFENSIVE magic.

While the potential of this method pleased Tatsuya, the other method of usage they had discovered by accident filled him with apprehension.

Within this barrier, Tatsuya was the determiner of life and death. Under the barrier, anything Tatsuya could decompose, could be decomposed. The barrier that in one way could defend all under it could turn that world into a living hell, with Tatsuya reining at its center like a god of death.

Tatsuya could decompose everything and everyone within the barrier, a new strategic class magic. Making Tatsuya the only known practitioner of two strategic class destructive magics. Even now the devastation he could render at just a kilometer radius would be classified as strategic class. Once he could defend an entire city with his magic, he could also wipe all traces of that same city off the map.

As this form of Decomposition required even more psions to project it, Pledge would limit his ability to cast that magic at least in the range variable. Since he only needed to be able to cast such a magic in meters to defend Miyuki and not kilometers, he judged that Pledge's beneficial results for himself and Miyuki far outweighed its negative aspects. As such, he saw no reason to resist being subjected to it.

"This one believes that Pledge will be beneficial for Miyuki-sama while she attends First High. This one will recommend that Miyuki-sama agrees to the procedure."

Hayama nodded to him with the slightest of satisfied smiles showing as he replied.

"That will be most helpful Tatsuya-dono. Now that your mother is no longer with us, Miyuki-sama will rely even more on her Onii-sama for support and advice. Toushu-sama acknowledges the importance of your strong relationship and believes encouraging the bond of fidelity between you will be towards Miyuki-sama's benefit. Toushu-sama stated that her relationship to her own Onee-san had been the bedrock of her life, and knows Miyuki-sama will derive similar benefit from your guidance as well."

Tatsuya understood that even though Hayama was his superior and the head of all Yotsuba servants, that at the end of the day he was still just a servant, and had to faithfully relay his master's words. Maya's statement about her reliance on Miya was a blatant lie and both men knew as much. A comforting platitude that meant nothing at all. Both men had personally witnessed the animosity between these twin sisters. Hate was too strong to describe it, but neither preferring the other's company didn't properly convey the depth of their dislike of each other. Hayama understood this better than anyone else. One could say his job for the last three decades had been managing the turbulent relations between these two very difference identical twins.

Tatsuya knew Hayama cared for both women deeply. He had been their servant when they were teenagers and had served them faithfully ever since. He had just witnessed Hayama and his mother's mutual professions of appreciation and affection for each other.

Still, Tatsuya had to wonder if his mother's passing would make this dedicated servant's life just a little easier for him since he no longer had to be their go-between and could now focus exclusively on Maya's concerns.

As for Hayama's statement, outside of his aunt's meaningless profession of sisterly devotion, Tatsuya had no particular reason to doubt the sincerity of the rest of it. He also wasn't able to determine if this was Maya's feelings on his relationship to Miyuki or Hayama's personal observations. In the end, he judged that knowing that was not a priority.

He respectfully bowed his head in acknowledgment and after informing Hayama he had no additional questions at that time, they both quickly made their way together to rejoin their respective masters.


	3. Chapter 3

Concerned that Miyuki was at the mercy of the Uncles and their machinations, Tatsuya was very pleased to find Miyuki in the western style banquet hall with Fumiya and Ayako buffering her on either side from the adults.

Even Maya, whom he thought would have taken the opportunity to hover over Miyuki from the seat next to her, had the good sense to let those her own age comfort her instead. Maya sat on the other side of Fumiya and took most of the adults' attention off Miyuki.

When he entered the room, Miyuki's eyes were already focused on him. Worried anticipation melted instantly off her face at the sight of him. She nearly patted her chest in relief. Fumiya and Ayako's eyes also met him. Both seemed to radiate satisfaction at his presence and a bit of remorse.

Tatsuya and Hayama both moved quickly to take their places behind their respective masters' seats.

It was then that Tatsuya could sense his aunt's eyes on him as she spoke to one of the family members who had lined up to give their condolences. The unreadable glint in her eyes and the enigmatic smile on her face were all there as she looked at him intently.

After another similar look at him from their aunt in the past, Miyuki had once speculated that if Maya could eat Tatsuya she would. When he confusedly asked her what she meant by that Miyuki had become strangely embarrassed and said to ignore her.

After only a few seconds Maya returned that smile to the person in front of her and continued their conversation.

Hayama took his place behind Maya, replacing second Yotsuba butler Hanabishi with mutual nods. Hanabishi, who was probably in charge of the actual physical arrangements for the funeral, departed forthwith.

Tatsuya could sense animosity aimed his way the second he entered the room. More than a few eyes of family members and servants alike had aimed contempt at him.

A particular set of angry eyes now looked directly at him.

Yotsuba fourth butler Aoki had been assigned to Miyuki in his stead.

The two lesser servants to either side of him that were serving Fumiya and Ayako appeared to share their superior's contempt for the lowly reject Tatsuya.

Aoki even had the audacity to stand his ground and glare at Tatsuya, who was waiting to relieve him. For his part, Tatsuya waited patiently and expressionless. Aoki had always seemed to have a particular contempt for Tatsuya, which he was not afraid to express. In this way, he wasn't that different from the rest of the servants who treated Tatsuya like scum.

He was however, the highest ranked of those that directly treated Tatsuya as a pariah to his face.

In strange dichotomy to his feelings toward Tatsuya, he treated Miyuki as if she were some type of goddess. All of this being even more ironic for the fact that because of the way he treated her much beloved Onii-sama, Miyuki held her erstwhile admirer in utter contempt.

Being blithely unaware of all this, as usual, even now Aoki couldn't seem to sense the chilling glare of anger building in intensity from Miyuki looking over her shoulder in front of them.

After a few tense moments, a gentle cough came from behind Tatsuya's back.

Hayama, still waiting dutifully behind Maya, spoke softly to them.

"Aoki-san, you have other duties to attend to, correct?"

Aoki's face contorted into a rage, and then discomfort, as reality hit him. Still, he tried to fight back.

"Under the circumstances, would it not be more appropriate for Miyuki-sama's attendant to be someone worthy to serve her on such a meaningful occasion as this?"

Miyuki, at her breaking point, slid her chair back to rise up, only to find the concerned hands of Fumiya and Ayako gently keeping her in place.

Still, the eyes in the room were now drifting in their direction with growing interest and concern.

"I'm not in the habit of repeating myself Aoki-san."

It was delivered with a gracious smile and perfect manners, but no one who could hear it mistook Hayama's statement for something warm and friendly.

Finally realizing he had touched the dragon's scales, Aoki, with a mortified expression bowed to Hayama.

"My apologies."

He then bowed towards Miyuki's back.

"Please pardon me, young madam. I must depart for other duties."

He still seemed oblivious to Miyuki's anger towards him. She refused to turn around or speak to him.

As he moved out of position and Tatsuya replaced him, he spared Tatsuya an angry glare before departing. The two servants on either side of him purposefully moved slightly away from him as if he had a contagious disease.

Hayama stepped up behind Miyuki and whispered into her ear. Tatsuya read what he said to her by lip reading.

"My apologies Miyuki-sama. He will be corrected most diligently, I assure you."

Miyuki smiled and nodded towards Hayama, and once Hayama moved to return to his original position she shared a warm smile over her shoulder with her Onii-sama, now in his proper place with her once more, though she naturally would prefer him to be sitting beside her as her equal.

On the other side of Ayako, their father Tatsurou had watched the proceedings in silence. Few if any present even bothered to speak to him. He was practically as much a pariah here as his son was. Some might say he was even more so. Despite whatever else the dreaded Yotsuba were, they would defend their own. No one here would offer his father forgiveness for his infidelities toward their cousin. As respected as Miya was, her husband Tatsurou was loathed. A fact he was being made painfully aware of.

Once dinner had concluded, the family members either went towards their rooms in the main residence or towards their family residences on the grounds. They would array themselves in their finest kimonos and furisode to say their final goodbyes to Shiba Miya, daughter of the Yotsuba.

Fumiya and Ayako, unable to speak to Tatsuya during the dinner by the rules of decorum, took this opportunity to express their sincere condolences to him and Miyuki both. Tatsuya was grateful for their loyalty to Miyuki.

Their father Mitsugu, one of the Uncles, waited impatiently for his errant children, embarrassed yet again by their misplaced affection for a mere servant.

Tatsurou waited with more patience and departed for his room along with Miyuki.

Shirakawa-dono was assigned the honor of supervising Miyuki's dressing for the ceremony. Her custom tailored dark purple furisode was displayed on a T-shaped rack, ready to be put on her. There were three other attendants who would dress Miyuki, apply her makeup, and quaffed her hair for her under Shirakawa-dono's discerning eye.

As a male, Tatsuya would not remain in the room during this process. Once he was satisfied that Miyuki was in safe hands he asked her permission to guard the doorway from the hall. Reluctantly given that permission, he moved to depart. It was then that Shirakawa-dono informed him that the servants had a buffet in their area and that he should take the chance to eat.

Miyuki, who hated that Tatsuya had to watch her eat during these occasions, insisted he go eat. Shirakawa-dono also reminded him he also needed to change outfits.

When Tatsuya entered the servant's dining area his presence drew immediate animosity. He always found it odd the other servants seemed to hate him even more than the family members. It was as if they took their masters' contempt for him as their own, and redoubled that contempt as a way to prove their loyalty toward their masters.

He also happened to be the youngest person in the room. At fourteen he was still considered a child. Still, even as a young child, these same "adults" had treated him like scum.

None of them could be oblivious to that fact that this child's mother had just died. So strong was the disassociation between himself and his family amongst their other servants that even when reasonable humans would have at the very least left him alone on this day of all days, they still treated him with contempt and loathing.

Here, he was always the intruder. Always the undesirable element. The ultimate outsider.

Had he had normal emotional range, he suspected that this situation might cause him to have a breakdown. He was surprisingly grateful at this moment that his mother had taken such extreme emotions from him.

If his mother's reasonable assumption that one day Miyuki would head the Yotsuba did actually come to pass, these same servants were in for a radical readjustment of their attitudes. Not from Tatsuya himself, but their new overlord Miyuki.

Once his eyes saw the well picked over buffet, he heard more than a few snickers from the watching servants.

Finding nothing left appetizing enough to consume, he took a to-go cup of black coffee instead and left for his room to change.

Since Miyuki's awaking to her devotion and love for her brother, she had become insistent that when they travel he should be housed as near to her as possible. This resulted in an immediate upgrade to better sleeping quarters, especially when they visited the main residence. Previously Tatsuya would have been housed in the male junior servants' dormitory when they visited, which had made the scene just now in the servants' buffet seem like a pleasant visit to the park by comparison.

Under normal circumstances Yotsuba servants would wear their formal serving wear on all occasions, but as a Guardian Tatsuya only would wear an appropriate suit that could hide his specialized CAD holster and provide enough freedom of movement to allow him to fight in it.

He had brought two such suits, but now seeing both back in his room, he thought they would seem odd on this occasion for some reason.

He had also brought his middle school gakuran uniform. It was dark navy blue and at night would appear black.

For some odd reason he couldn't fathom, he sensed that this would be more appropriate to wear than a suit for a fourteen-year-old young man to say goodbye to his mother in.

 _"But...I'm just a servant."_

He would not stand with Miyuki, their aunt, and their father. He would be in the back along with the other servants.

This wasn't his mother who had died, just another Yotsuba master. That was how he was raised and taught, even by the woman in question herself.

Especially by the woman in question herself.

Still, for some odd reason he couldn't explain, he put his school uniform on instead.

* * *

After checking his appearance before departing his room, Tatsuya moved down the hallway to stand guard at Miyuki's door.

A few seconds later, Shirakawa-dono slid the screen door back and stuck her head out of the room.

"Oh, you're finally back. She wants you in here."

Tatsuya dutifully followed her into Miyuki's room.

"Do I look alright Onii-sama?"

Miyuki had commissioned Shirakawa-dono to have this furisode made for her specifically for their mother's funeral. It was violet, their mother's favorite color. The pattern was blooming lilacs in various other shades of purple, their mother's favorite flowers.

The obi was their mother's favorite. It was silver with purple accents in the stylized four-leaf clover mon of House Yotsuba. Since the mon was only ever used in this village and no one not associated with the Yotsuba had ever seen it, it was safe for Miya to wear that obi on her rare trips in public. The string used to tie it didn't match because it was pink, but Tatsuya recognized it as a part of one of Miyuki's other kimono outfits from her childhood. From her kimono on her seven-year-old Shichi-Go-San, another gift from their mother.

Her hair was done up in the traditional style for Kimono wearing, and the hair pins with purple ends were also recognized by him as their mother's.

"You are the most beautiful thing in all the universe."

Such a line delivered by anyone else would have seemed downright corny. Even Shirakawa-dono and the other attendants winced slightly at it.

But the sincerity of his delivery made it into something akin to a proclamation of love.

"OH! Onii-sama! Don't embarrass me so!"

Perhaps it was Miyuki's reaction to his words that had made the others present feel awkward instead?

She placed her hands on her pink tinged cheeks and smiled uncontrollably as she tried to regain her composure in happy bliss.

Perhaps he should have held back a bit in his praise to her this once. Her sudden joy seemed very out of place on such a somber occasion.

Miyuki must have picked up on this sense of the mood as well. She composed herself rapidly and calmed down instantly.

"You look very handsome as always too, Onii-sama."

If the servants in this room held the same negative opinion of him as the rest of the staff, they had the good sense Aoki and the others seemed to lack to hide it in front of Miyuki.

"It's just my school uniform."

She smiled and tilted her head at his self-deprecating response.

"And you always look handsome in it."

He smiled back awkwardly to her.

"Thanks."

Shirakawa-dono took the opportunity to cough, creating a gap into which she could speak.

"If Miyuki-sama is ready?"

Miyuki turned an inquisitive look towards Tatsuya, who nodded lightly to her.

"I am, Shirakawa-dono."

One of the attendants slid open the door of the Japanese-style guest room and bowed as the other two bowed off to the side, all seated properly now on the tatami mats. Shirakawa-dono then led Miyuki out. A normal Guardian would have followed a few steps behind their Primary on such an occasion, but Miyuki intently took Tatsuya's arm so that they would walk out as equals.

She led them through the residence to the front foyer, where they found their father waiting for them in his normal formal black kimono. Shirakawa-dono then retreated to the wall where other servants waited to serve their needs if called upon.

"Miyuki-chan, you are perfection as always."

Their father spoke with sincerity, but it clearly had not meant as much to Miyuki as Tatsuya's own praise had minutes before. Still, she smiled graciously and accepted their father's praise.

"We'll have to get Tatsuya a shinai to carry around to beat the boys that fall in love with you away."

Miyuki bowed slightly with a self-deprecating smile.

"You embarrass me, Chichi-san."

After raising her head she returned the compliment.

"You look quite handsome as well."

He smiled awkwardly, as if embarrassed but not by the praise of his daughter.

"Oh, this old thing."

His formal kimono was appropriate in every way and in good order. There was nothing inappropriate in the least with it. Yet Miyuki seemed to suddenly understand why he felt awkward.

"Were you not offered a new kimono for this event Chichi-san?"

The look on her face was pleasant and tranquil, but Tatsuya could sense a boiling anger building in her. That anger was not aimed at their father though.

"Um, no. It was probably an oversight though. After all, it has been a busy time for the family as a whole."

Miyuki was still smiling serenely at their father.

"I'm sure you are right Chichi-san."

Tatsuya could make a good guess where Miyuki's anger was being directed.

"If you like, I'll see a new formal kimono is made for you tonight, for your trip home."

"No dear, at this point that would just be a waste. But I thank you all the same."

Their father seemed to understand Miyuki's hidden fury as well.

The family had on-sight tailors in the house whose only duty was to make sure that the family and their rare guests were properly attired for every event. Had Miya not specifically forbidden Miyuki from making an issue out of it, Tatsuya would be wearing a custom made five mon formal kimono at this very moment, emblazoned with the mon of House Yotsuba.

Yet where it was expected that Tatsuya the servant wouldn't receive such finery, to have the deceased family member's own husband neglected in such a manner, no matter their relationship status, was blatant disrespect. Even if his infidelity towards Miya were completely discounted, to have a future head of house candidate's father treated this way alone was a serious affront.

Miyuki allowed a certain level of effrontery towards their father by the family because she felt he deserved it. He lived apart from them with his long-term mistress. It was without doubt shameful behavior on Tatsurou's part and even if Miya tolerated such behavior, it had still been a grave insult to their mother. Miyuki's fury at their father far exceeded anyone else's in this regard.

Yet despite all this, she loved their father deeply, despite his flaws as a husband and father. She could never bring herself to be mad at him to his face or confront him with her own anger.

She allowed the family to shun him for her instead, on the rare occasions he was invited to a family event.

Even this form of indirect punishment she inflicted on their father had its limits, and those limits had just been exceeded.

"Shirakawa-dono."

Miyuki's smile never wavered, but even for a thirteen-year-old, she could have a terrifying and commanding presence when she wanted to. That terrifying smile was aimed squarely at terrified looking Shirakawa-dono at this moment. The Harridan of the Hallways suddenly looked like a first-time servant off the street under the icy glare of the teenage girl before her.

"You are in charge of the tailors and seamstresses, are you not?"

A very scared looking Shirakawa respectfully bowed her head.

"This one has that honor Miyuki-sama."

Miyuki added a slight head tilt to her terrifyingly smiling visage.

"Is there an explanation for this grievous oversight? The husband of Miya, daughter of the Yotsuba, should be first to receive proper attire for her funeral service, should he not?"

Tatsuya knew Miyuki was not using magic, but the temperature in the room had dropped for all witnessing this event.

"I...I...this one has no excuses for this terrible oversight Miyuki-sama."

Tatsuya could hear Miyuki's jaw pop with this response from Shirakawa-dono.

"You will find me the correct explanation to this affront to my father, my mother, and myself and inform me and Toushu-sama of it before I leave tomorrow."

Head still bowed in fear, Shirakawa-dono responded.

"This one will get to the bottom of this egregious error Miyuki-sama, you have this one's word."

Miyuki's facial expression adjusted to a slightly less terrifying smile now.

"You will immediately go to the seamstress shop and have them make my father the appropriate five mon formal kimono. You will personally inform Toushu-sama that I have requested that the ceremony be delayed until the kimono is ready."

Shirakawa-dono was about to respond in the affirmative to this unreasonable and unrealistic order when their father took a surprised Miyuki's hands in his own.

"Miyuki, I'm certain this was not Shirakawa-dono's fault."

"Father, I..."

He pulled her hands upwards between them still in his own hands.

"She'll get to the bottom of it, I'm sure it was just an oversight, these things happen. You know as well as I that even the amazing tailors of the Yotsuba cannot have me a tailored formal kimono ready tonight."

Miyuki looked like she was still going to protest when their father's next words shot her down.

"Your mother had the kimono I'm wearing made for me. I'm sure she would be fine with it, and tonight isn't about me or you. We are here to honor Miya's life, and as it was her wish to do this as quickly as possible, the best way to honor her life is to honor her final wish and get on with it. Is it not?"

Under normal circumstances having their wayward father interpret his estranged wife's wishes would be offensive, but in this case, Tatsuya felt he was not only right about her wishes but right to point them out to Miyuki.

As was her way, Miyuki looked to Tatsuya for final confirmation. He nodded with a slight smile to her.

She let out a surrendering sigh before replying.

"Very well Chichi-san, if you are certain it does not bother you."

Tatsurou nodded enthusiastically to her.

Miyuki turned to a contrite-looking Shirakawa-dono next.

"Forgive my harshness please Shirakawa-dono."

"The fault is mine Miyuki-sama. I should have double checked to make sure your honorable father was well prepared for tonight. I will find out the reason and report it to Toushu-sama and yourself, and correct it for the future so it will never happen again."

Miyuki and Shirakawa-dono bowed to each other.

With a brief look to inquire of him if she had done things correctly, Tatsuya smiled reassuringly to Miyuki.

It was at this point that Tatsuya could see the vehicle pull up through the glass of the main residence's front doors.

Seeing his eyes focus outwardly. Miyuki followed his line of sight and recognized their ride was here.

"Are we not waiting for Oba-sama?"

Her concerned look and question was directed towards Shirakawa-dono, the senior servant present.

"I believe she will be using the next available vehicle."

It was certainly true that she had not come out to join them, which would be odd if she planned to ride with them.

Miyuki sent Tatsuya another concerned glance but all he could do was smile back again reassuringly. He would be the last person their aunt confided her plans to.

He then moved to open the door for her, but to everyone's surprise, Miyuki called out to him.

"Wait Onii-sama!"

They all directed interested eyes towards her.

She seemed to be looking at the door with a strange and sad expression. She then enigmatically reached her hand towards the door as if to grab the handle, but she didn't move any closer.

She just sadly extended her hand towards the door, with an expression on her face as if she were about to cry.

"Miyuki?"

Their father asked her in concern.

"It's…alright."

She closed her eyes with her hand still extended. For a brief moment, it seemed like she was praying. Then she slowly opened her eyes again. Her expression was one of serenity.

Tatsuya, the only one to her front, saw her lips move quietly.

"The very same door. This is for you Haha-chan."

Then she boldly moved and reached for the door handle.

"I have it Onii-sama."

She boldly pushed the door open and went through. Their father, perplexed as everyone else at his daughter's odd actions, followed her a few seconds later. Tatsuya the servant dutifully went last.

He would remember to inquire of her later what that enigmatic sequence had been about.

Once outside his earlier prediction that the light wind would turn cold after nightfall was confirmed. It had the slightest of cold stings to it as it hit his cheek. The wind suddenly whipped at their hair and clothes, particularly pushing on Miyuki's furisode. Tatsuya and their father bracketed her to help he stay upright on her geta.

Unlike her progress through the doors of the residence, Miyuki dutifully waited for Tatsuya to open the door for her, which he did immediately. She smiled at him and went inside the car, holding up the hem of her furisode so she could clear the lower rail of the door with her traditional wooden geta.

Tatsuya continued to hold the door so their father could enter behind her, then he closed the door and proceeded around the vehicle to let himself in through the opposite door.

Once his door was closed the driver pulled off without saying a word.

It was going to be a short trip.

They had but to move through the driveway that circled around the front gardens of the residence to the main gate. Once through the main gate, the village square and park was right in front. The vehicle would proceed down the vehicle path in the park until they got within walking distance to the center of the square, where the public funeral would take place.

Miyuki grabbed Tatsuya's hand as if on instinct. She sat resplendent in her gorgeous furisode between their father in his black formal kimono and Tatsuya in his navy gukuran. It was only now that Tatsuya realized Miyuki was also holding their father's hand.

Here in this car, for this short ride, at least in appearance, sat father, daughter, and son.

As a family.

Only the mother was missing.

 _"Would she hold my hand if she were here?"_

Tatsuya instantly dismissed the nonsensically errant thought immediately.

Still, he couldn't dismiss the possibility entirely. Just hours before she had initiated rare physical contact with him. She had even died holding him.

He still couldn't process entirely what he had experienced in that room alone with their dying mother.

The vehicle passed through the residence's main gate. It was here for the first time that they could see the crowd that had gathered.

The village had several hundred residents. All magicians or their magicless immediate family. Every single person in the village had been brought here as a refugee from the other areas of Japan devastated by the Third World War or were descendants of those who had been brought here. This had been done on their grandfather's orders. They paid for, and wanted for, nothing and all that was asked of them was that they serve the Yotsuba unconditionally. They saw the Yotsuba as their saviors and their loyalty to the family was fierce. The most worthy became servants in the main house. The skilled were employed as Yotsuba guards, agents, and soldiers. All others worked to keep the village operational.

Yet all served the family in some capacity.

Here in the Japanese Alps was the feudal system of Kamakura Era Japan, alive and well in a mostly modern setting. At the apex of this old and ancient system sat the Daimyou over his domain, demanding the loyalty and service of his subjects in exchange for his benevolent protection of them.

Or in this case, _her_ benevolent protection.

Yotsuba Maya was the undisputed ruler of this valley and its village, as her uncle and her father had been before her.

Everyone in this village had turned out on this cold autumn night to dutifully pay their last respects to their overlord's Onee-san.

Here if nowhere else, were the Yotsuba loved.

Hundreds lined the short route through the park to the square. They all bowed as the car slowly passed.

This was not just their loyalty but their curiosity as well.

Most in this village had never set eyes on the girl in this car rumored to be their next overlord. When she came and went from this place she did so in a car with blackened windows. This limousine had the window tinting turned off specifically so they could see Miya's family. Now they would have a chance to see the renowned beauty in the flesh.

There was another darker and more mysterious rumor inside this car that probably brought their curiosity to the fore as well. He knew from the talk he overheard amongst the other main residence servants that the rumors related to Miya-sama's "defective" son also had reached the villagers' ears.

They'd get their first good chance to see him tonight too.

As the vehicle approached the central square, the faces became more familiar. Lesser servants of the main house, then more senior servants.

A large clearing in the sea of humans up ahead appeared. Tatsuya knew the sight that awaited them there. He pulled Miyuki towards him in preparation.

It was then she saw the elaborate stack of logs in the center of the square. What lay on top of that stack of wood made her inhale a few sharp breaths and tear up at the corners of her eyes.

Tatsuya and their father worked both sides of her as she clenched even harder at their hands with her own. They both whispered reassuringly into her ears.

After a few ragged breaths, she regained her composure.

"It's all right, I am with you."

She managed a smile at his whispered reassurance and then nuzzled her head inside the gap between his head and shoulder. The onlookers couldn't have helped but to see the siblings' mutual affection.

The car came to a stop and after she nodded to him he opened the car door and stepped out.

He knew exactly where the family members and the servants were as he felt their animosity bore into him. All the other eyes he felt on him were unreadable. This was their first time seeing the "Defective One", it's only natural to be more curious than hostile.

As a proper servant, he held the door open so Miyuki could slide out. Upon seeing her properly, the reaction of the audience was very different. After the initially stunned reactions to this young girl's extreme beauty, all the villagers lowered themselves before her.

Visibly touched by this gesture, Miyuki returned it.

Their father slid out of the car and offered his arm to his daughter. She took it and he guided her to their honored places in front of the family.

Tatsuya closed the car door and the vehicle immediately pulled off. He followed behind his father and sister at a respectful distance. Once Miyuki was in her proper place she nodded to him and he went behind the family members and took a place at the end of the line of senior servants behind the family. Not more than a few eyes followed him as he did so. He was clearly the source of much curiosity.

Other eyes looked at him with familiar contempt. Some of the junior servants clearly didn't think he deserved such a good view of his own mother's funeral. Better views than they had. Aoki was a few spaces down, but unlike before he wouldn't even spare Tatsuya an angry look. He did have an expression that made one think he was smelling something rotten though.

A few moments later another vehicle pulled up. Since everyone else was already present, there was no doubt who was the occupant of that car. Unlike their own car, the window opaqueness had been left activated. Villagers bowed to their overlord's car as it passed by them.

It came to a stop in the same place their car had been moments before. As expected Hayama emerged from the other side and went around to open his master's door for her.

Those present, in anticipation, already began to bow to the Lady of the Yotsuba even before she had emerged.

Then a surprising gasp came over from the crowd.

Maya had emerged from the car.

Instead of a formal furisode as was expected for her to wear on this occasion, she was instead in a violet colored Nuevo Victorian style dress.

It was not her dress.

She also had her hair perfectly arranged.

Yet not in her usual hair style.

The person who emerged from the car was already the twin sister of the woman whose body now lay on top of the funeral pyre.

They were now truly identical.

Even Tatsuya couldn't tell that he was not looking at his mother's ghost, as his aunt, in his mother's dress, with his mother's hair style, moved toward Miyuki.

 _"Miyuki!"_

His concerned eyes moved to see Miyuki's reaction to this unexpected visage before her. Every eye of the family looked at Maya in stunned silence. Their own father seemed mortified to see his sister-in-law dressed as his dead wife.

Miyuki, even to Tatsuya's surprise, seemed to not be in any distress at all. The look on her face seemed to say "as expected of aunt".

Sensing his eyes on her, it was her turn to give him a reassuring smile, which he could only now return to her.

Maya stepped up beside Miyuki and they exchanged a few quiet words.

For all the stir her sudden appearance as her sister's doppelganger had caused, it had seemingly ended just as quickly with Miyuki's calm reaction to it.

Still, even Tatsuya found it disturbing to see his aunt dressed exactly as his mother, and in her clothes.

With Maya's appearance, all the principal actors were now on stage.

The show could begin.

Most Japanese prefer Buddhist funeral services and rites. Yet the Yotsuba prided themselves on their Yamato origins so much that even their funerals were in the Shinto style. Open funeral pyres instead of using a crematorium were just another aspect of the Yotsuba's desire to replicate ancient Japanese rituals to impress their servants.

The village priests performed the rites and soon it was time for the family to do their part. Maya, Miyuki, and Tatsurou were all given unlighted torches.

There would be no public speeches from the family members. All that was left was to light the fire.

Only now could Tatsuya begin to sense his sister's mounting dread.

 _"How can they ask her to burn her own mother's body?"_

Tradition be damned. If he could he would take this burden from his sensitive and loving sister.

It was then he noticed Hayama step up from behind her and whisper into Maya's ear. Her eyes drifted over to where Tatsuya stood. Everyone present seemed to notice where she was looking. He felt their eyes shift from her to himself and back again.

Then he read her lips as she said with that unreadable smirk of hers plastered on her face: "Well, I suppose it was time."

Hayama pulled back and nodded to Maya, then stepped out from behind her and approached where Tatsuya stood. Now all eyes were locked on the young boy in his school uniform, including the concerned eyes of his beloved imouto.

Hayama stepped up to Tatsuya's side and whispered into his ear.

"Miya-Ojou-sama had a final request of you."

Tatsuya then listened to the rest of Hayama's words and nodded.

When Hayama turned to retake his position behind Maya, Tatsuya followed him.

When he came to a stop behind Miyuki she looked as if she would break out into a smile. He nodded to her reassuringly again.

It was then he saw Maya shift her unlighted torch to her left hand and use her right to tap on her left bracelet style CAD. Tatsuya read the activation sequence with ease. Instantly the extended end of her torch brightly ignited.

She offered the tip of her flame toward Miyuki to light her own torch, and then Miyuki did the same for their father.

With all three torches now lighted, Maya nodded to her niece and moved towards her sister's funeral pyre. She walked to the far side of the pyre and then turned to face her sister's right side.

She stood before the pyre with her torch held out in front of her.

In a clear voice that all present could hear, she spoke out into the cold and windy night sky. The breeze moving the tresses of her hair about her face. Tatsuya couldn't help but think of his mother as he saw her spitting image before her laid out body.

"Farewell, Onee-san!"

She then slowly lowered the torch to the lowest rung of logs that made up the pyre and touched it in three places. When she had finished, she placed the torch down on the lowest log and walked back slowly to her place in line with the family.

She didn't spare her twin sister's body another look.

Once she was back in place Miyuki and their father exchanged a nod, and Tatsurou approached from his wife's left side.

In a voice that was slightly choked, he managed to speak out as the wind pushed at his extended torch's flame.

"Farewell, Tsuma-san."

Then he touched the lowest rung of the pyre with his torch and placed it on top of the logs. Returning to the line of relatives, he touched Miyuki gently on her shoulder.

Despite the wind moving them about, there was no threat of the fire reaching their mother's body before Miyuki had her turn. The fire accelerant they had used was distributed on the logs in a way that would burn upwards slowly, but once it reached the platform where the body rested, would engulf it quickly and efficiently.

Miyuki hesitated to step forward, the only motion being the slight wisps of her hair that had escaped from the hold of their mother's hairpins. This only attracted more eyes to her. Even Maya was cutting her eyes down at her reluctant niece.

It was at this moment that Miyuki turned tear stained eyes behind her.

Tatsuya offered her a warm smile and mouthed words to her.

"You can do it. For Mother's sake."

Refortified by his words, she nodded intently and turned around, then slowly walked forward, but a few seconds later she stopped.

Tatsuya could see her begin to shake. It wasn't because of the cold breeze.

Now all eyes were on her.

Suddenly she turned around and without hesitation extended her free hand back towards him.

"Onii-sama!"

He didn't once consider if it was the right thing to do or if it was what etiquette called for.

The "unworthy" servant stepped through the gap Miyuki had occupied between his aunt and father and grabbed her hand.

Hateful eyes poured onto them from the family and the servants.

He couldn't care less about that though.

Miyuki wanted him.

Miyuki needed him.

And that was exactly what his mother had designed him to be.

He was Miyuki's Onii-sama.

How better to honor her than to do what she had designed him for.

"I am with you. We will do it together, just like on Okinawa."

She nodded to him, and they walked forward, arm and arm.

At their mother's feet, they stopped and looked across at her playing atop the pyre, with flames slowly licking upward on either side. Miyuki now was in open tears. Tatsuya pulled her into his left side to comfort her, and warm her from the wind. More angry eyes dared to judge her.

Tatsuya reached his right hand up to wrap around Miyuki's left hand that had the torch in it.

They locked eyes and nodded, then both spoke aloud.

"Farewell, Haha-sama!"

Together they lowered the torch, touching the flame to the base of the pyre. A new line of flame spread across the front log the log.

Miyuki released the torch into Tatsuya's hand and he lowered it onto the log for her. When he stood upright Miyuki had reached her breaking point. She buried her head in his chest and sobbed.

Tatsuya could feel the hateful eyes on his beloved imouto. They were her enemies as well as his and he has marked them all.

He knew it wouldn't be long before the fire reached its zenith. He pushed her out from his body so that he could look her in her eyes. He dabbed at her tears with his handkerchief and then handed it to her.

"Mother had one final task for me to perform. It won't take long though. Please rejoin aunt and father, and I will be back with you shortly."

She looked at him in mild confusion.

"One….final task?"

He nodded solemnly to her.

Suddenly she brightened up noticeably and smile radiantly at him despite her tears.

"I understand Onii-sama. You must do this thing for Haha. I will await you with pride in my heart."

She then stepped back and bowed to him. The level of hatred he felt on him tripled at this display of Miyuki's love and respect for him.

Before he could even try to return her gesture she stepped beside him on his left, cupped his right cheek with her left palm and kissed him on his other cheek. She then gracefully rejoined their aunt and father in line. To his surprise, when he followed her with his eyes, Maya didn't seem the least bit put off by the emotional display the siblings had just performed before the whole village. She even smiled at him, disturbingly.

He turned to face his mother one last time. Within seconds he knew the fire would engulf her body.

There was no time for errant contemplation of her life.

Tatsuya, now alone before his mother's funeral pyre, before his entire family and the whole village, came to attention. A soldier of the Self-Defense Forces rendering his respect.

Then he bowed from the waist before her. To his family and the servant's surprise, the rest of the villagers followed his example. After a few awkward moments, they too also bowed.

As they all returned to the upright position Tatsuya unbuttoned one button on his school jacket with his right hand and reached inside it under his left arm. He wrapped his hand around the handle of his brand new custom made Silver Horn Trident in its holster. His thumb pressed the top button on the back of the gun-shaped specialized CAD.

His eyes never left her body.

It would be his last glimpse of her.

He squeezed the trigger.

It would be everyone's last glimpse of her.

A collective gasp arose from everyone present.

Miya's body evaporated before their eyes in microscopic ash-like particles. Only a sudden flash of blue flame was left, and that too was soon gone.

A few seconds later the flames had finally reached the platform, and a whooshing sound could be heard as the flames intensified instantly, sucking in oxygen rapidly.

His mother had been laid out in the same white kimono with purple Yotsuba four-leaf clover mons she had worn on her deathbed. The same kimono he had diligently switched lapels on just hours before. Her body had been surrounded by lilacs as well.

When he decomposed her body he had left the kimono untouched, only the blue flame of her body's excess gasses reacting with exposure to atmosphere had scorched it slightly.

Now the intensity of the normal flames pushed air under the light garment and sent it skyward as it also burned, to be caught by the wind before it too evaporated into ash as its occupant had moments before.

All eyes followed it into the night before it disappeared. In years to come, the villagers would say it was Miya's spirit ascending into the heavens, on wings given to her by her dutiful son.

The much heavier lilacs didn't move though, they just burned and smoked.

For some reason he couldn't fathom Tatsuya's forearms seemed to suddenly ache. He couldn't explain it, but the flames of the now empty pyre seemed to stir something in him he couldn't put his fingers on. The unexplainable memory of an unknown pain.

He turned back to rejoin Miyuki only to see stunned faces looking back at him.

 _"So mother wished me to debut my Decomposition efficiency at her funeral. One last task to perform."_

Even his father seemed stunned by what he had just witnessed.

Decomposition was a rare talent among magicians. No previously known Decomposition user had the ability to decompose an entire human body in literally half a second. No one present had ever seen Decomposition used with such power and apparent ease. The stunned eyes were aimed at someone they all now knew was the world's greatest known Decomposition user.

The Defective One wasn't entirely so.

Miyuki, with tear stained eyes, looked on with pride at him and the humbling reaction his Decomposition of their mother's remains had caused among the crowd, especially their arrogant and prideful relatives.

Maya only smiled at him, as if very satisfied with the results.

The Uncles looked at him too with stunned expressions.

They also directed negative emotions his way again.

This time it was pure fear.

They were afraid of him again.

He could live with that result, as apparently could his aunt.

Miyuki could only look at him with pride as he returned to the line.

He walked past his aunt to retake his original place among the servants. It was now he felt a soft but firm hand around his left forearm.

He turned to look slightly downward at the mysterious eyes of the possessor of that hand. She only smiled back at him with that unreadable expression and his mother's stolen appearance.

"On such an occasion, your place is by Miyuki's side."

This woman in his mother's clothes, with his mother's hair style, and with his mother's face; looked at him with the same expression as he had seen just that afternoon on his dead mother's face.

She seemed…proud, of him.

She turned him gently around with her arm and took his right arm in her left.

"You belong with your family."

Only now could he see the concerned look in Miyuki's eyes as she watched him with their aunt.

"That's the way Onee-san would have wanted it to be."

She dropped her left hand and took his right hand in hers.

The uninformed would have mistaken Maya for her dead sister. They would see these four standing together watching a now empty stack of logs and flowers burn into the cold night wind and assume they were the Shiba Family, united as never before.

Tatsuya couldn't help but notice how truly happy his aunt seemed in this moment.

Was she happy her sister was dead?

Was she happy that Tatsuya had again terrified the Uncles?

Was she actually happy to be dressed up as her sister, and with her sister's family as if she were their mother instead?

Was she even happy to be holding Tatsuya's hand?

A disturbing possibility came to his mind.

What if all these things together had caused her happiness?

Tatsuya and Miyuki both stole worried glances at each other and their aunt as they both watched in concern as their mother's funeral pyre flames danced in the shining and bright eyes of this woman who now would dominate their lives in their mother's stead.

Tatsuya seemed to feel the cold autumn night breeze penetrating his school uniform jacket for the first time. It felt more like winter to him now than the fall his mother had loved so much.

* * *

It was dark now. Much darker than it had been in the room where their mother had died a few hours before. That was the natural difference between nightfall and midnight.

Actually, now thirty-five minutes past midnight.

In truth, he was beginning to think she'd hold out even longer than that. She had fought sleep off impressively when by all rights she should have been exhausted well before they entered this room. Only moments before had she finally surrendered to the inevitable daily call to rest.

Now the only sound that broke the silence of this dark room was her gentle rhythmic breathing.

They lay there together on the futon mattress on top of fresh tatami mats in the darkness inside Miyuki's Japanese-style guest room. Even in darkness, it was a stark contrast to the western style bedroom where their mother had died in his arms just hours ago.

His eyes, well trained, had long adjusted to the darkness. He could see every detail of her face, including the lines of the tear stains still fresh on her cheeks. The left shoulder of his nightshirt bore further evidence of her tears through its dampness.

Only hours before another's more mysterious tears had dampened the opposite shoulder for him.

Today, for the first time, he had been able to hold both of the most important women in his life as he had never before.

One was gone now.

The other was now his responsibility alone.

She had not cried continuously the whole time. In truth, he was very proud of her. Anyone else her age would have been devastated by the loss of their mother and wept openly and loudly through the whole ordeal.

Instead, Miyuki had shown the entire family and village tonight that she was the Ojou-sama her devoted mother had trained her to be. Miyuki was now the publicly acknowledged legitimate successor to Miya's legacy. Her grace and poise under tremendous emotional pain had been praised profusely among the family and servants alike. She was the perfect living proxy for their now deceased mother in all things.

Except one.

The one area where they differed was of course Tatsuya.

Following the short ride back to the main residence the entire family had gathered for evening tea, on a massive scale.

A few family members took the opportunity to tell antidotes about their mother's life, or to praise her work in the study of mental interference magic. Their mother was legitimately the world expert in mental interference magic. Of course, her invaluable research in that field would most likely never see the light of day. It was for the benefit of the Yotsuba alone.

For some reason, this bothered him. Not for the first time was he glad that his own specialties were something that only benefited the family if disseminated to the world at-large.

Others took the opportunity to praise Miyuki's bravery and grace during this period. Tsukuba-dono was very eloquent with her praise of Miyuki, and how she had brought honor to her mother. Kuroba-dono also praised Miyuki. Tatsuya was surprised he didn't find some way to praise Fumiya and Ayako too. Both looked relieved that their father had managed to avoid his normal trademark faux pas on this somber occasion.

Watching from the wall with the other servants, once again he was reminded that though he was of the Yotsuba blood, he was not one of them. None of the adults spoke to him or to offer him condolences on the death of his mother.

After all, he wasn't her child in their eyes. He was only a long-term test subject for her. Defective material only suitable for study to prevent such mistakes in the future. How could someone as praise-worthy as Shiba Miya ever be identified on an emotional level with a defective like himself?

They did look at him often though and whisper to each other about him. Tatsuya preferred their fear to their contempt since fear of him would help them keep their distance from Miyuki.

To their father's constant disappointment though, the Kuroba twins refused to follow the adult's example where he was concerned. They only departed from his side when their father insisted and soon would find their way back to him. They made a constant loop between himself and Miyuki, who by etiquette was trapped between their aunt and their father. Tatsuya remembered his mother's words about the Kuroba twins already being in his pocket. In truth, he was grateful for their support of Miyuki in this way. He knew that despite her heavy heart she would be more concerned for his sake than her own. Here the twins helped relieve her burden by visible supporting her beloved "Outcast" in defiance of the adults.

She would occasionally exchange a happy smile with him across the room as Fumiya chewed on his ear and Ayako smirked at her brother's obvious devotion and admiration of their elder cousin.

Even as Miya and Miyuki were both publicly praised, so too was the overlord of the Yotsuba. Sitting beside Miyuki still dressed for all the world to see in what Tatsuya was now referring to mentally as her "Miya costume"; Maya smiled graciously and accepted their profuse accolades. Even someone as emotionally limited as Tatsuya could see how uncomfortable Maya had made her relatives by dressing up as her dead sister. She even seemed to be trying to channel their mother's mannerism as she spoke and replied.

Had he still had emotions, he suspected he'd either be offended and angry at her or simply "creeped out" by this display.

She had certainly made the rest of the family very uncomfortable, which might have been a significant factor in motivation for this play-acting of hers.

Still, Tatsuya got the impression something much deeper was going on in Maya's mind than simple exhibitionism. He couldn't help but feel on some level Maya was doing this to usurp their mother's position and legacy. Maybe she even felt that as Miya's twin, she could somehow replace her for Miyuki. Tatsuya remembered their mother's warning to use Hayama as a go-between with their aunt. He thought it sound advice at the time. Now, he would implement the policy in full force when they returned home.

After an hour and a half, it was clear no one wanted to be the first to leave and Maya was apparently enjoying herself too much to dismiss them. Tatsuya was beginning to get annoyed that Miyuki's feelings and need to rest were being ignored when Hayama informed him that he could take Miyuki back to her room if she was ready.

She most certainly was ready.

They managed to depart the banquet room discreetly without attracting the cousins' attention. One adult did stop them in the hallway though.

Their father also took Miyuki's departure as an excuse to leave. Like dinner before, he was ignored to his face and ridiculed in whispers at this event as well.

Instead of returning to his guest room to sleep, he planned to return to his home in the capital with his mistress tonight. Tatsuya thought it would be hard for a neutral observer to blame him after tonight's display of contempt, despite knowing his history with their mother.

Miyuki was most certainly not neutral though.

To Tatsuya's surprise, she didn't protest and wished him a safe journey. She offered to see him off when he was ready to depart, but he insisted she go to bed.

A hug and a kiss, a promise to get together soon, and their father was off to change out of his kimono and hopefully leave without any additional attention.

As he left, father and son locked eyes for the first time tonight. No words were said, but his father gave him a slight head nod. Not knowing the meaning behind such a rare gesture from his normally disinterested father, he simply returned it and followed Miyuki and Shirakawa-dono into her guestroom.

For Tatsuya's part, he felt that their father departing tonight would make tomorrow much easier on everyone.

Once Shirakawa-dono had supervised Miyuki's disrobing and made sure they were settled in she departed with the attendants to allow the siblings to sleep. Once Miyuki found out that Tatsuya hadn't eaten she immediately called an attendant back to the room to order him food from the kitchen. Tatsuya suggested she say it was her that was hungry and not himself. Miyuki seemed to want to protest such actions but told the attendant she wanted the food for herself. She probably understood his motivation for asking her to claim the food, even though they didn't speak about it. Having to prepare a meal for what the other servants considered to be the lowest of the low, would probably result in further unnecessary conflict with the main residence servants for him later on.

After the food was brought up Tatsuya ate as Miyuki retreated to the bathroom to relax in the tub. Then they exchanged places.

And after that…it was bedtime.

He had been apprehensive about the prospect of sleeping with her in the same bed. He knew instinctively that the physically affectionate Miyuki would "cuddle" with him. For some reason, he couldn't explain, despite the natural need for him to be with her at this difficult time, the idea of holding Miyuki in this manner while laying down and under a cover had produced a considerable amount of concern for him.

It wasn't rational, and he knew as much. For some reason her being his sister didn't seem to mitigate the prospect of holding her in this intimate manner in his mind as it should have.

He even was noticeably embarrassed when he informed her of the option to sleep together earlier that evening.

Miyuki's reaction was even more difficult for him to understand. She blushed profusely for several minutes and tried to hide her flushed face from him. Yet her words did not match her shy reaction. She became giddy at the idea and was very enthusiastic about it.

Once alone in the room, she was the one encouraging him to bed, yet again with her blushing face showing. He still couldn't explain either of their reactions in this situation.

It had been the right choice though. She immediately snuggled into his left side and laid her head on his left arm. At that moment Tatsuya's mind couldn't help but draw parallels with his experience with Miya earlier.

Yet unlike their mother, Miyuki couldn't hold back any longer.

She buried her face in his chest and screamed. He rolled over to hold her with both arms as she released all her pain into his body. A few muffled wails made him think the hallway servants might hear her. They either did not hear her or had been told not to hear her.

After the first intense crying spell, he held her as they talked. He asked her about her gesture in the foyer before the funeral, where she held out her outstretched hand and then insisted on opening her own door. Once she told him the story their mother had told her of the last day she had seen her own father alive, it made perfect sense to him. This was Miyuki's tribute to their mother. She would boldly open the door where their mother had held back doing so and regretted it.

A moving tribute, even for someone as limited as Tatsuya to understanding the emotions behind it.

He took the opportunity to tell her about Pledge and how it would help them through high school. Miyuki seemed dubious about the benefits and asked if this was some way to limit him. Showing no concern for herself, she was worried about hampering Tatsuya for the Uncles' sake. He dutifully explained why he supported it and in the end, she acquiesced, but only after he told her that either could end the link temporarily if they chose to.

Then another fit of crying came. Nowhere near as intense as the first, but a bit longer.

Afterward, they talked more about their mother and her life. Miyuki told him many things he had never heard about Miya before. Again, Tatsuya was forced to reevaluate the distant and cold-hearted mother he thought he knew.

More crying, followed by sharing memories of Honami and discussion about what their father would do with "that woman" now. Miyuki said she wouldn't be surprised if he married the "hateful old cow" and Tatsuya had to work hard to look like he knew nothing about it. He judged now was not the time to tell her about their father's pending remarriage.

They lay in the dark, talking and in her case crying. She kept going each time Tatsuya thought she'd finally fall asleep. At one point she even had her lips close enough to his neck that he could feel them moving as she whispered, and the heat of her breath.

Despite his training against it, his heart mysteriously began to race out of his control.

And then she went silent, and a few moments later she was finally asleep.

Now he lay with her cradled into his left side.

Her long and miserable day finally at an end.

 _"I managed to protect her for another day."_

Tatsuya said these words to himself every night so far since the day he first became her Guardian nearly seven years before.

It was the way he ended every day, and a reminder to repeat the same efforts tomorrow.

She was his entire world, even more so now than before.

She would also need him more now than ever too.

He would defend her again tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on.

Because that is who he is.

And who he was designed to be…..by her.

Mother.

Only now that she was safe in his arms could he ponder his own experiences today. Their mother's last words to him, the apparently altered Eidos Log, and….

 _"…that smile."_

Tatsuya had discovered something interesting once Miyuki started to like being held by him. It was only in times like that that he truly felt she was safe. Physical contact with her was his ultimate security blanket. Only then could he let his mind wonder.

Before tonight, hugs between them were for just a few moments.

Tonight, with her safe in his arms for hours, would afford him a rare chance to free his mind completely.

She could be no safer than in his arms, so he could at last release the burden of being her constant sentinel and expand his mind beyond himself.

In the Eidos plane, his mind wondered outward through the residence. He saw the servants cleaning up after the gathering. He saw other servants sleeping in their dorms. He saw his aunt in her study with Hayama. He resisted the urge to focus on them, not sure if they could detect his ability if he concentrated on them.

His mind drifted beyond the main residence to the branch family residences. He saw Fumiya and Ayako talking in one of their bedrooms in the Kuroba residence. He saw Mitsugu talking with his own mother Yume-sama, their grandfather's younger sister.

In the nearby Tsukuba residence, he saw their cousin Yuuka, who had been asked to talk to them tomorrow before she departs, laying asleep on a futon. Yuuka would discuss with the siblings her knowledge and experiences from her days at First High School. She had just graduated that past March and would know almost all the staff and a good deal about their impending third-year sempais who had been her own kohai.

In another room, he could see Yuuka's mother, Tsukuba Tuuka-dono, with her husband. He seemed to be comforting her as she cried. Rumor was she was close to their mother as children and might be having a hard time dealing with her death. Tomorrow she would bond him to Miyuki with Pledge.

His mind went out even further. Now he was beyond the walls of the residence. Now he saw the park and square where the funeral had taken place. He chose to rewind the Eidos Log now. He went back a few hours and watched the funeral again. He watched them arrive and then their aunt. He saw them light the pyre. He watched himself decompose his mother's body. He could now see all the faces as they watched him do this. The shock on every face.

Was his Decomposition magic that impressive?

He watched his aunt's face again. The strange glare of fascination and satisfaction showed on her. He was still "creeped out" to see such a passionate look on someone nearly indistinguishable from his stoic mother.

His mind came back to the main residence and a few hours further back. His mind came back to the room where his mother died in his arms.

By tomorrow night, he'd be unable to return to this point again. His Eidos Log rewinding ability had approximately a twenty-four-hour life span. Being able to examine this mysterious event was of high importance to him. He would not rest well till he could explain why he had fallen asleep and the difference between his own memories and what the previous Eidos Log review showed.

He watched as he entered the room. He watched them talk as he stood over the chair. He watched himself lift his mother up and carry her into the bed. He watched as he joined her.

Again he seemed to fall asleep immediately and she died embracing him moments later.

 _"That's not right."_

He watched it again, nothing changed.

 _"But this cannot be. I know what I experienced was real."_

He could feel himself, lost in this information dimension, losing his connection to the physical world and becoming more agitated with each review.

 _"I must find the solution."_

His grasp on reality and consciousness slipping away from him as he pushed further into the Eidos plane.

Then he felt warm and recognized the sensation from earlier today.

 _"Am I…"_

It was the same sensation he had felt right before he had lost consciousness on his mother's deathbed.

Then he heard a familiar voice, or more like a chorus of familiar female voices.

 _"Always working so hard. Constantly pushing yourself to new achievements."_

The same chorus of familiar female voices he had heard earlier that day had returned.

 _"Tireless warrior, always searching, always vigilant."_

The warming sensation calmed him as he seemed to gently fall out of the information plane and back into his body.

 _"Not all mysteries must be solved in a single day."_

He could feel his consciousness drift away from him like earlier.

 _"Rest now, the princess is safe in your arms."_

He couldn't even put up a fight this time. He could only listen as Miyuki's voice mingled with Shirakawa-dono's, Maya's, Ayako's, and Honami's voices inside his mind

 _"Tomorrow holds new challenges for you to overcome."_

He only seemed to have enough energy left to ask one weak question.

 _"Who…..are you?"_

The voices coalesced as they surprisingly replied to him.

 _"I will always be with you, as I have always been."_

Now one familiar voice dominated the others as they spoke to him.

 _"Rest now my poor child."_

He felt once again as if he were a child in a giant's arms. Warmth and safety pushed his mind into unconsciousness.

 _"I will never let you fall."_

He could smell her scent and feel her holding him in her embrace. He had never felt this much contentment in his life. He never wanted to let her go.

As he drifted off to sleep, he could hear the familiar voice singing into his ear a song he knew was a lullaby sang to babies lull them into sleep. He knew this couldn't be a memory of his own since no one had ever sung him a lullaby before.

Certainly not her.

Yet her song was as real to him in this perfect moment as anything he had ever experienced.

With the one person he loved safe in his arms, Tatsuya could finally and truly rest in the mysterious arms of another unexplainable but familiar presence.

She sang that lullaby to his weary mind all night long, and he had the best night's sleep that he could ever remember.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks again for reading my stories. If you like it please check out my other MKnR work. This one is a short story (short for me anyway). For my regulars, I am currently editing the already published chapters of To Stand at the Pinnacle to realign them better with the canon light novels since events have changed since I first started on it. I'd suggest that once I have this done and get to publish my first new chapter of that story that you start from the beginning since some things will have changed.

Again, thanks for reading and commenting on my stories. Till next time.


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